smell test

smell test (plural smell tests)

1. (idiomatic) An informal method for determining whether something is authentic, credible, or ethical, by using one's common sense or sense of propriety.
   • 1994, Todd Purdum, "New Yorkers in Congress at War With a Lawyer," New York Times, 6 May. (retrieved 8 Feb. 2009):

     It just doesn't pass the smell test. It just creates too many opportunities for cutting corners, doing unethical things and basically not telling the truth.

2. An inspection of an object using the sense of smell, as for freshness of food.
   • 2006, Olivia Wu, "It's a hairy crab extravaganza," San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Oct. (retrieved 8 Feb. 2009):

     I give the smell test to many foods when I shop.

3. (physiology) An assessment of a subject's ability to detect and distinguish odors.
   • 1990, K. A. Fackelmann, "Smokers Suffer from Impaired Smell," Science News, vol. 137, no. 9, p. 134:

     Although scientists have yet to pin down any biological basis for cigarette smokers' impaired performance on the smell test, Doty says he suspects that certain chemicals in smoke . . . damage the olfactory receptor cells in the nose.

• nose test

• smell a rat
• sniff test