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Glite Dictionary
👃 To detect a scent 👃 Ability to detect scents 🦨 To have an odor 🦨 An odor 🕵️ To sense suspicion 🌫️ A feeling in the air 💻 A software problem
smell

smell

2 7.9
A sign in code that shows a deeper problem and makes change hard
  • noun
  • /smɛl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : síntoma de mal diseño
  • smell test

And the opposite of that is code, that it's messy, code that smells, you know when you see it.

Examples

  • I'd appreciate it if you would use your real name, since your question does not pass the smell test.

    Blog text (18)

  • In software development, we often refer to "code smells."

    Blog text (32)

  • Sure, there are, but this story doesn't pass the smell test.

    Blog text (28)

  • You can and should eliminate the bad smell immediately before it worsens.

    Blog text (32)

  • Deliberately hiding their data and methods from those who pay for their work product doesn't pass the smell test.

    Blog text (22)

  • The code has several smells that suggest it needs refactoring to improve its maintainability.

  • During the code review, we identified a few smells that indicated deeper design issues.

  • If there are too many smells in the software, it's a sign that we need to revisit the architecture.

Idioms

to pass the smell test
  • Informal
3 7.8

Seem honest and believable when people check it

to stop and smell the roses
  • Informal
3 4.6

To take time to enjoy small pleasant things in life

to wake up and smell the coffee
  • Informal
3 7.3

Realize an unpleasant truth and stop ignoring it

to smell blood
  • Informal
2 7.4

To see someone's weakness and act quickly to get an advantage

to smell fishy
  • Informal
2 6.8

To seem suspicious or dishonest

to smell like a rose
  • Informal
2 6.1

To appear in a good way after a problem

smell of the lamp
  • UK
9.9

A sign that someone works late and studies hard, or the smell of an oil lamp

to smell the barn
  • Informal
9.7

To feel the end of a trip or task is near

to smell like a tart's handbag
  • NSFW
9.9

To have a strong, unpleasant scent of old heavy perfume and dampness

smell you later
  • Informal
9.9

To say goodbye in a playful, joking way

Compounds

sense of smell
27 2.8

The ability to notice and tell scents apart with the nose

smell test
4 3.8

A quick check to see if something seems right, sometimes by its scent

new-car smell
3 3.7

A pleasant smell inside a brand new car

musty smell
2 3.4

A bad, stale smell from damp or old things

fishy smell
2 2.6

A strong unpleasant smell like fish

pungent smell
1 3.3

A strong sharp smell that makes your eyes water

lingering smell
1 3.2

A smell that stays for a long time

smell of success
1 3.9

A feeling that you have done well and feel proud

new-car smell
1 4.1

A feeling that something is fresh and new, not a real smell

dank smell
5.1

An unpleasant damp smell in places like basements or cellars

dank smell
  • NSFW
9.6

A strong smell of cannabis smoke or buds

pestilential smell
  • Literature
9.4

A very strong bad air that makes you think of rotting things or disease

smell-o-vision
9.9

A way to make people smell scents while watching films or TV

yucky smell
  • Informal
5.6

A strong, nasty smell like rotten food that makes you feel sick

How Serious

bug
  • Specialized
211 2.8
smell
  • Specialized
2 7.9
warning sign
54 1.6

Surface Forms

smell singular
smells plural

Etymology

Smell in programming is a modern metaphor that borrows the ordinary word: just as a bad odor warns you of a problem, a 'smell' in code warns programmers of a deeper design issue.