to give out stink
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
quejarse
- When the new policy was announced, several employees began to give out stink to management.
Examples
-
If you leave those leftovers any longer, they're really going to give out stink.
-
Sarah always gives out stink when her team loses.
-
She didn't hesitate to give out stink when she thought something was unfair.
-
Don't give out stink about the new rules!
-
When the meeting ended, he started to give out stink about the lack of communication from the manager.
-
They will give out stink if the concert is canceled at the last minute.
-
After the event, she couldn't help but give out stink regarding the poor organization.
Synonyms
15
4.8
Make a place smell very bad
8
2.9
To send out light, heat, sound or a smell
5
8.1
Have a very strong bad smell or seem very wrong
4
6.8
Complain loudly in public to get attention
3
7.5
Make a place smell very bad
2
7.4
To complain loudly and make people notice the problem
1
6.7
To fill a place with a very bad smell
To breathe out loudly to show you are annoyed
Antonyms
How Loud
- Informal
70
4.8
- Informal
∞
1.0
177
1.0
41
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
For the literal sense 'emit an unpleasant odor' the phrase is compositional: 'give out' = emit and 'stink' = a bad smell, so a learner who knows the parts can derive that meaning. The 'complain loudly' sense is a metaphorical extension (cf. 'make a stink' = make a fuss) that is less predictable without exposure, so overall the item is partially but not fully transparent.
Etymology
The phrase give out stink comes from a clear image: something gives out a bad stink, like rotten food. By the same idea of giving off something, people also use it for someone who loudly complains, so it can mean both 'to smell bad' and 'to complain'.