in bad odor
1
9.3
- idiom
- Archaic
- The company's unethical practices left it in bad odor among consumers, who chose to buy from competitors instead.
Examples
-
And I further suspect that military expeditions that smack of "nation building" will be in bad odor for a long time to come.
Blog text (1) -
Now you are in bad odor with the FBI, alas.
Fiction book (2001) -
But now, alas, you're in bad odour with the FBI.
-
After the scandal, the politician was in bad odor with the voters and struggled to regain their trust.
-
Following the controversy, the celebrity found herself in bad odor within the media and public circles.
Synonyms
31
7.2
Something people think is morally wrong or dishonest
9
7.1
Not trusted or respected because of bad behavior
6
7.6
A bad reputation that makes people think less of a person or group
4
6.2
Lack of public support or approval
4
7.5
A condition where people think badly of someone
Antonyms
How Disliked
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'bad' + 'odor' (a bad smell), so a learner can plausibly infer a negative quality; however the intended meaning 'in disfavor' relies on a metaphorical extension from smell to reputation, which is not a straightforward compositional inference. Because this requires figurative reasoning and the construction is somewhat formal/idiomatic and variable across languages, it is only partially predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The idiom in bad odor comes from a simple smell image: if someone has a bad odor (a strong bad smell), people move away from them. That's why the phrase means 'not liked' or 'in disfavor' today.