to smell a thing

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• smell — smell,[/p] scent, odor, aroma all denote a property of a thing that makes it perceptible to the olfactory sense. Smell not only is the most general of these terms but tends to be the most colorless. It is the appropriate word when merely the… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

• smell — [smel] vt. smelled or [Chiefly Brit.] Brit. smelt, smelling [ME smellen < OE * smyllan < IE base * smel , to burn slowly > SMOLDER: basic sense “to give off smoke”] 1. to be or become aware of by means of the nose and the olfactory… …   English World dictionary

• Smell — Smell, n. [OE. smel, smil, smul, smeol. See {Smell}, v. t.] (Physiol.) 1. The sense or faculty by which certain qualities of bodies are perceived through the instrumentally of the olfactory nerves. See {Sense}. [1913 Webster] 2. The quality of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• thing — 1 matter, concern, business, *affair 2 Thing, object, article are comprehensive terms applicable to whatever is apprehended as having actual, distinct, and demonstrable existence. They vary, however, in their range of application. Thing is the… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

• smell|er — «SMEHL uhr», noun. 1. a person or thing that smells. 2. a person who tests by smelling. 3. Slang. the nose or sense of smell. 4. a sensitive hair or process such as one of a cat s whiskers; feeler …   Useful english dictionary

• smell — I. verb (smelled or smelt; smelling) Etymology: Middle English Date: 12th century transitive verb 1. to perceive the odor or scent of through stimuli affecting the olfactory nerves ; get the odor or scent of with the nose 2. to detect or become… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

• smell — smell1 W3S2 [smel] n 1.) the quality that people and animals recognize by using their nose smell of ▪ The air was filled with the smell of flowers. sweet/delicious smell ▪ There s a delicious smell coming from the kitchen. unpleasant/bad/acrid… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

• smell — 01. Something [smells] delicious. I wonder what s for supper. 02. Because of their excellent sense of [smell], dogs are often used in airports to look for things such as illegal drugs, or bombs. 03. The garbage [smells]. Someone needs to take it… …   Grammatical examples in English

• smell — smellable, adj. smell less, adj. /smel/, v., smelled or smelt, smelling, n. v.t. 1. to perceive the odor or scent of through the nose by means of the olfactory nerves; inhale the odor of: I smell something burning. 2. to test by the sense of… …   Universalium

• smell — [[t]smɛl[/t]] v. smelled smelt, smell•ing, 1) to perceive the odor or scent of through the nose by means of the olfactory nerves; inhale the odor of 2) to test by the sense of smell: He smelled the meat to see if it was fresh[/ex] 3) to perceive …   From formal English to slang

• smell — [c]/smɛl / (say smel) verb (smelt or smelled, smelling) –verb (t) 1. to perceive through the nose, by means of the olfactory nerves; inhale the odour of. 2. to test by the sense of smell. 3. to perceive, detect, or discover by shrewdness or… …