Idiom

Sniff test

What does "Sniff test" mean?

Sniff an item of clothing (or food) to check if it might be suitable to wear (or eat).

Sniff test

Late 20th century.

Sniff an item of clothing (or food) to check if it might be suitable to wear (or eat).

Mostly Britain, but becoming more common elsewhere.

  • I've worn that shirt before but when I gave the underarms the sniff test I thought I'd be okay to wear it again.