And when I was thirteen
Shawn welcomed me into teenage life
with a spritz of his almost-grown cologne,
said my girlfriend—
my first girlfriend—
would like it.But she hated it
so I broke up with her,
becauseto me
her nose was
funny acting.— from Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, pub Simon & Schuster 2017
What does the phrase "almost-grown cologne" mean?
Best Answer
It means "cologne for someone who is almost a grown-up". A teenager might put on cologne, thinking that it will make them seem more like an adult and attractive to girls.
But in this poem, it actually annoyed his girlfriend. Rather than take it as a hint that he was trying too hard or used too much (a common error if you're not used to wearing fragrances), he concluded it was a problem with her ("her nose was funny acting"), and broke up with her.