| 释义 |
▪ I. sniff, n.|snɪf|
[f. the vb.]
The phrase in a sniff ‘in a moment’ occurs slightly earlier in dial.: see the Eng. Dial. Dict.
1. a. An act of sniffing; a single inhalation through the nose in order to smell something, usually accompanied by a characteristic short snuffling sound; the sound made in doing this.
1767Warton Oxford Newsman's V. 34 Oh, cou'd I but have had one single sup, One single sniff at Charlotte's caudle-cup! 1798O'Keeffe Wild Oats ii. i, Rain over—quite fine—I'll take a sniff of the open air too. 1833T. Hook Parson's Dau. ii. i, Then he made a sort of a sniff with his nose, because he could smell the dinner. 1868H. Spencer Princ. Psychol. i. vi. (ed. 2) I. 109 When the sniffs have been continued for some time, scarcely any scent can be perceived. 1883F. M. Crawford Dr. Claudius i, [He] was taking his evening sniff of the Neckar breeze.
transf.1860Mayne Reid Hunters' Feast vi, It was a sort of prolonged hiss, that all except Ike believed to be the snort of the black bear. Ike..declared that it was..the ‘sniff’, as he termed it, of the ‘painter’ (cougar).
b. A smell or scent.
1844Hood The Turtles 34 All whiffs, and sniffs, and puffs and snuffs,..That, as we walk upon the river's ridge, Assault the nose.
c. Sniffing distance.
1878Stevenson Inland Voy. xx. 216 We were within sniff of Paris, it seemed.
d. fig. A hint, intimation.
1936C. Day Lewis Friendly Tree ii. ix. 124, I have been..wondering if I shall ever get a job... I have just got a sniff of one—experimental work.
2. An act of sniffing in order to express or show contempt, disdain, incredulity, or similar feeling.
1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. ii. iii. iii, Lambeth..is met..by nothing but Royalist brocards; sniffs, huffs, and open insults. 1840Dickens Barn. Rudge xli, Miss Miggs gave a great sniff to the same effect. 1884Manch. Exam. 19 Dec. 5/2 A look and a sniff which express as clearly as articulate words a homely rejoinder [etc.]. 1891‘J. S. Winter’ Lumley xii, ‘She is downstairs, and I think she's come to stop,’ with a sniff of disgust.
3. An act (or habit) of clearing the nose by a short inhalation.
1860All Year Round No. 75. 588 An elderly woman labouring under a chronic sniff. 1883H. Drummond in G. A. Smith Life (1899) viii. 188 The creature..gives vent to a tremendous sniff, as if he had just caught a severe cold in the head.
4. U.S. A contemptible or insignificant person.
1890Gunter Miss Nobody xii, Her mother..cries out, astounded: ‘Going to marry that little sniff?’
5. U.S. A domino game in which the first double played has special significance; the first double played.
1917J. Hergesheimer Three Black Pennys iii. xxiv. 289 After dinner, when they were playing sniff. 1930J. H. Appel Business Biogr. J. Wanamaker xxii. 336 His own favourite game was ‘sniff’, played with dominoes. 1961D. C. Armanino Pop. Domino Games 37 A singles may be played off the end of singles, the sides of doubles, and the ends of Sniff. Sniff is the only double on which plays can be made on the ends. 1974F. Berndt Domino Bk. 33 Sniff is yet another variation of Muggins. Ibid., The first double played is called the Sniff.
▪ II. sniff, v.|snɪf|
Forms: 4–5 snyff, 6 sniffe, 8– sniff.
[Imitative: cf. sniffle v. and snuff v.]
1. a. intr. To draw air through the nose with short or sharp audible inhalations; to clear the nose in this way, esp. when under the influence of emotion.
c1340Nominale (Skeat) 88 Man snyffyth and snyuelith. c1400Beryn 39 She snyffith, sighith, and shooke hire hede, and made rouful chere. c1460J. Russell Bk. Nurture 284 Pike not youre nose.., Snyff nor snitynge hyt to lowd lest youre souerayne hit here. 1575Turberv. Faulconrie 231 It shall be good..to skowre the head alone, and purge it with some deuise, to force hir snyte and sniffe as men do accustome to sneze. Ibid. 232 To discerne this disease of the head, the hawke will sniffe often. 1839Dickens Nich. Nick. iv, The little boy beyond alternately sniffing and choking, gave no further vent to his emotions. 1885Manch. Exam. 9 May 6/2 The ladies were all weeping wildly,..dozens of men were sniffing suspiciously.
b. spec. To inhale cocaine, the fumes of glue, etc., through the nose. slang.
1925Flynn's 4 Apr. 819/2 Sniff,..to use powdered cocaine as snuff. 1931E. Wallace On Spot ii. 24 Red, you're..a hop-head... We got no room in this outfit for guys who sniff. 1967C. Drummond Death at Furlong Post v. 62 So they send us a dipso who sniffs! 1970New Scientist 13 Aug. 352/1 These young people generally ‘sniffed’ from a plastic bag into which they first squirted aeroplane glue, cleaning fluid or whatever. 1975Weekend Mag. (Montreal) 8 Feb. 21 The Whitebear sisters began sniffing almost two years ago, Janice says. ‘A friend of ours used to sniff. At first, we didn't know what he was doing, so we asked and then we tried it too.’ 1977J. van de Wetering Death of Hawker vii. 73 He's sniffing too... Cocaine powder.
2. a. To sniff in smelling; to smell with a sniff or sniffs. Said esp. of animals.
1788Cowper Death of Mrs. Throckmorton's Bulfinch 40 He [sc. a cat]..something in the wind Conjectur'd, sniffing round and round. 1848Dickens Dombey lv, Some dogs..that sniffed upon the road. 1874C. Keene Let. in Life (1892) vii. 160 [A] little animal, always sniffing about for mice. 1899Allbutt's Syst. Med. VII. 341 The patient in smelling sniffed with one nostril only.
fig.1865Dickens Mut. Fr. iii. xiv, If he came sneaking and sniffing about the property. 1973A. Mann Tiara ix. 76, I want to..sniff around the Vatican again. 1977R. Player Month of Mangled Models vii. 133 Sniffing around Chelsea and Kelmscott.
b. Const. at.
1792F. Burney Diary 27 June, She..sniffed at her flowers with a sort of ecstatic eagerness. 1833Marryat P. Simple (1863) 239 After sniffing at it two or three times, I knew it to be otto of roses. 1865Tylor Early Hist. Man. iii. 45 The Fijians, who used to salute by smelling or sniffing at one another. 1883Olive Schreiner Story Afr. Farm i. i, A curious old ewe came to sniff at him.
3. To show or express contempt, disdain, disparagement, incredulity, or similar feeling, by sniffing:
a. Const. at a person or thing.
1729Swift Grand Question Wks. 1755 IV. i. 109 So then you look'd scornful, and snift at the dean. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. i. vi. iv, Camille Desmoulins, and others, sniffing at him for it. 1864― Fredk. Gt. xvi. x. (1872) VI. 262 Our Shopkeepers of the Rue St. Honoré would sniff at such a lodging. 1888Times 6 July 9/3 Superior persons..will doubtless sniff at the expression of opinion upon these topics by the House of Lords.
b. Without const.
1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. i. vi. ii, Dusky D'Espréménil does nothing but sniff and ejaculate. 1871Mrs. Whitney Real Folks xvii, She did not sniff; she was a great deal too much a lady. 1881Besant & Rice Chapl. Fleet I. 91 Mrs. Gambitt sniffed disdainfully.
4. a. trans. To take up, draw in, (air, etc.) by inhaling through the nostrils.
1796F. Burney Camilla I. 147 Seeing he was sniffing up the eau suave without looking at her. 1822–7Good Study Med. (1829) III. 189 Cold water may be sniffed up the nostrils. 1828Lady Granville Lett. 29 July (1894) II. 29, I sniffed up country air, and felt better and better every mile. 1873Agnes Matheson in Mem. Minister's Wife (1881) vii. 98, I can sit and sniff in the sea-breezes.
b. Without adv.
1843Sir C. Scudamore Med. Visit Grafenberg 75 Head⁓bath twice a day; and to sniff water freely several times in the day. 1856Kane Arctic Explor. II. xiii. 138 Dr. Hayes..came aft and crawled upon deck to sniff the day⁓light. 1870R. Brough M. Lynch x, [He] could sniff the sea breeze through the counting-house window.
c. fig. or in fig. context.
1864Duke of Manchester Crt. & Soc. I. vii. 106 Sniffing a far-off scent of battle with the restless craving of the war⁓horse. 1881Besant & Rice Chapl. Fleet ii. x, His turn-up nose seemed so joyfully to sniff the incense of praise.
5. a. To smell (a thing).
a1845Hood Town & Country v, For meadow-buds I get a whiff of Cheshire cheese,—or only sniff The turtle made at Cuff's. 1871B. Taylor Faust i. iii. (1875) II. 28 The platter-licker, he sniffs the roasting.
b. fig. To perceive as if by smell; to smell or smell out (a plot, etc.); to suspect. Also with out.
1864C. Knight Passages Work. Life I. iii. 175 Lord Sidmouth, as was his wont, had sniffed a plot from afar. 1873C. M. Davies Unorth. London (1876) 43 It is not only Rome that sniffs heresy in independent thought or action. 1899C. Scott Drama of Yesterday I. xvi. 538, I sniffed more prey. 1946Sun (Baltimore) 12 Aug. 1/2 A pilotless aircraft that is sent into the air to ‘sniff out’ its own enemy target. 1979J. Barnett Backfire is Hostile! xi. 111 You should concentrate more on sniffing out the sex fiends than speculating on spies.
c. Phr. to sniff the wind: see wind n.1
6. To regard (something) with contempt or scorn; to sneer at.
1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. ii. v. viii, Thus some, with up⁓turned nose, will altogether sniff and disdain Sansculottism.
7. To utter with a (scornful) sniff; to express by means of a sniff.
1859Meredith R. Feverel xl, ‘Are you cold?’ she would ask, smiling charitably. ‘I am.’..‘You always appear to be,’ the bosom sniffed and snapped. 1865A. Smith Summer in Skye i. 24 Fastidious Edinburgh sniffs disdain. 1870Mrs. J. H. Riddell Austin Friars iv, ‘Of course you would forgive anything from her,’ sniffed Melinda.
Add:[4.] d. orig. U.S. slang. To inhale (a powdered narcotic substance or the narcotic fumes of glue and similar substances).
1934C. de Lenoir 100th Man i. 13 Sniffing heroin or cocaine is ‘sleigh-riding’. 1951N.Y. Times 13 June 24/3 Then one day we met another fellow and he offered us some heroin. I sniffed this too. We called it ‘horse’ and ‘H’. 1965‘Malcolm X’ Autobiogr. vii. 110 As the pros did, I too would key myself to pull these jobs by my first use of hard dope. I began with..sniffing cocaine. 1970New Scientist 12 Nov. 314/1 Young people who turn on by sniffing the vapour of airplane glue..sometimes..drop dead. 1974[see snort v.1 7]. 1986P. Barker Century's Daughter i. 7 Some of the houses were used by drunks, others by teenage gangs sniffing glue. |