under one's nose

Right before you

Right in front of someone, in plain view yet unnoticed or ignored.

Something happening under your nose occurs so close you should see it but somehow miss it: The affair was going on right under her nose.

The phrase often implies willful blindness or embarrassing obliviousness: He was stealing from the company under everyone's nose for years.

Related

oblivious · close · unnoticed · unobservant · in plain sight · hidden in plain sight · heedless · turning a blind eye · distracted · within reach · at hand · blind spot · careless · negligent · preoccupied · unaware · visible · adjacent

Opposites
visibility/obviousness

under one's nosehidden

Kept out of sight

concealed · unseen · out of sight · invisible · obscured

proximity/distance

under one's noseremote

Distant or controller

far away · distant · out of reach · miles away · far-flung

Family

under, nose, ones, noses, nosed, nostril

Familiarity
Top 50,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G