Welcome to the 4th episode in our series of the five senses. We’ve looked at vocabulary connected to sight, sound and touch. Today it’s the fourth sense, smell.
The Five Senses
Sight
Sound
Touch
Taste
Smell
Smell
To smell – INTRANSITIVE: I love how that fresh bread smells.
To smell – TRANSITIVE: He could smell the fish as it was cooking
Olfactory: related to the sense of smell
To sniff – To quickly inhale through the nose. (Police sniffer dogs are trained to sniff out certain smells)
Unpleasant smells
Smelly
Stink, pong, odor: an unpleasant smell
Reek: a very strong unpleasant smell. e.g.it reeks of BO in this unventilated gym
Whiffy (informal adj.) – smelling badly (“Take a whiff of that!”)
Acrid – Strong and unpleasant, often used for smoke or chemicals.
Pungent – Sharp and intense, can be positive (spices) or negative (sweat).
Rancid – Smell of spoiled food, especially fats and oils.
Putrid – Rotten and foul-smelling.
How do you think the sense of smell influences our memories and emotions? Can you recall a specific smell that brings back a vivid memory?
Nice smells
Aroma, fragrance (noun)/ aromatic/fragrant (adj.): a pleasant smell
Bouquet: the pleasant smell of wine, perfume, etc.
Musky – rich, warm scent, often found in perfumes.
Fresh – pleasant, uplifting smell, often something recently produced
Sweet – desserts, sugary foods, (the sweet smell of success)
Spicy – interesting smell of spices
Heady – smelling strongly in a good way that has a noticeable effect
Idioms
Something stinks – Used figuratively to suggest dishonesty or suspicion.
To make a stink – To strongly criticise or object to something
Something smells fishy/to smell a rat – To suspect something is suspicious or dishonest.
Smell trouble – To sense or suspect that a difficult or problematic situation is approaching.
A nose for something – A strong ability to detect or recognize something (e.g., “She has a nose for good deals”).
Discussion
Why do you think certain smells, like fresh bread or coffee, have such universal appeal? What’s your favourite small? Are there any smells that you find unpleasant?
Some people are more sensitive to certain smells than others. Do you think this sensitivity can affect someone’s quality of life or relationships?
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In next week’s episode: The Five Senses | Taste
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The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’