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Phrase(s): hold one’s nose
1. Lit. to use one’s fingers to keep one’s nose closed to avoid a bad smell or to keep water out. • The kid held his nose and jumped off the dock into the lake. 2. Fig. to attempt to ignore something unpleasant, illegal, or "rotten." • He hated doing it, but he held his nose and made the announcement everyone dreaded.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs