Your "nose is out of joint" when the look on your face and the way you act shows other people that you are upset. Example: "What's wrong with him?" Answer: "His nose is out of joint because we forgot to invite him to the party." Although a nose cannot actually be "out of joint", the way a finger or an arm comes out of joint, a person who is upset may have a strange look on their face until they recover. Example: "What happened was an accident; there is no reason for you to have your nose out of joint." Another example: "We were only joking; don't get your nose out of joint."