You won't be happy if you think you're paying through the nose for something. Although you may feel like you're getting ripped off, at least you get to keep your face intact. The roots of this commonly used idiom come from a brutal tactic of The Dane Vikings of slitting someone's nose from tip to eyebrow if the person refused to pay their tax, according to Grammarist.
如果你觉得自己paying through the nose for something(为某件东西花了很多钱),肯定高兴不起来。不过,就算被“宰”,至少你的脸是完好无损的。根据Grammarist网站记载,这个常用习语源于北欧海盗的一种残酷手段,如果有人拒绝交税,就将此人的鼻子从鼻头到眉间划开。