a whiff of
23
4.4
- idiom
:
un rastro de
- As I walked by the bakery, I caught a whiff of freshly baked bread.
- get a whiff of
The big bad market got a whiff of those agents.
- The big bad market got a whiff of those agents.
- He's never, there's never been a whiff of of, of drug stuff around him.
- So I, I think, you know, the knives are starting to sharpen, but he'll, he'll get out of this one just with a, a, you know, a whiff of an apology.
- And I just got a whiff of it and it smelled like peppermint.
- Whoa, I just got a whiff of salty beef and berries and I have never had a whiff like that.
- It's like taking a whiff of a diner floor.
- Do you have a whiff of that?
- You don't want to be a troublesome writer that even has a whiff of being difficult because once you're branded difficult, that's hard stench to get off.
- I saw some of the canisters go off and get a whiff of some of that CS gas prepared for CS gas.
Examples
-
- Who wants a whiff of that new car smell?
-
As soon as you walk in the hospital, you can catch a whiff of it.
Fiction book (1994) -
I got a whiff of it as she passed me.
-
It's got a bit of a whiff of alcohol in it.
-
I detected a whiff of something else.
-
"She'd moved close to him, and he got a whiff of her perfume.
Fiction book (1999) -
When I was growing up, there was always a whiff of mourning in the crisp winter air.
Fiction book (2000) -
And I just got a whiff of it and it smelled like peppermint.
-
The wind suddenly ripped in from the sea, and a whiff of low tide filled their noses.
Fiction book (1990) -
The wood in the fireplace snapped loudly, and a whiff of smoke tinged the air of the room.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
102
1.0
A pleasant smell that you notice and enjoy
83
2.6
A pleasant sweet smell from flowers or perfume
74
1.6
A pleasant smell that often comes from food, drink, or flowers
60
3.2
A short puff of air that carries a smell
3
8.8
A small puff of air carrying a faint smell
1
3.0
A short soft smell of perfume in the air
A short breath you take to smell something
Antonyms
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
a + whiff + of
The meaning 'a brief or slight smell' follows directly from 'whiff' (a quick puff of air/scent) combined with the preposition 'of' indicating source, so the phrase is compositionally predictable. This noun + of construction is cross-linguistically common and therefore a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
A whiff of comes from the image of a quick puff of air that brings a smell to your nose, and the word whiff feels like a short, light gust or breath. That's why it means 'a brief or slight smell'.