meaning - What does "too on the nose" mean?


What does "too on the nose" mean, especially as applied to art?


I use the expression but struggle to explicitly articulate what I mean. My best attempt is that I use it to refer to film, music, etc. that lacks subtlety and nuance, for example cheaply getting emotional heft from very directly stating cliched and unsubtle emotions.


Too:




  1. In addition; also

  2. More than enough; excessively

  3. To a regrettable degree - AHDEL/TFD



Obviously, I'm using too in the sense of #2 or #3.


And the idiom on the nose:



Exactly, precisely; ...This term... may come from boxing, where the opponent's nose is a highly desired target. - AHDI/TFD



I haven't been able to find reliable definitions for too on the nose online (they're swamped by definition of 'on the nose', which is apparently often a positive phrase meaning exact or precise).


You can't be "too on the nose" in boxing. Can it have a negative meaning or is this a misuse of the phrase?



Answer



In the acting/script/play/film world, "too on the nose" is a pretty common phrase which means lacking in sub-text, too obvious, having neither subtlety nor sophistication. In life, people can't usually say what they mean for one reason or another; when they do in film or theater it comes across as unrealistic.


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