Dictionary

sniff test en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (General-American) audio
• /ˈsnɪf ˌtɛst/ (General-American)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈsnɪf tɛst/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From sniff (noun) + test (noun).

Meanings

1. An inspection of an object by smelling it, as for cleanliness of clothing or freshness of food.
   • Let wood dry overnight so solvent evaporates. Mr. [Hugh] Fite uses the sniff test: when he no longer smells solvent, the surface is likely dry enough. 1988 March, “No Longer an ‘Afterthought’ Kitchen”, in Sunset: The Magazine of Western Living, Menlo Park, Calif.: Lane Publishing Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 108, column 3:
   • Spices properly kept can last for months. To be sure the flavor hasn't weakened, give them the "sniff test" (check for a pungent aroma) and look for vibrant color. 1996 December, “The Best Cookies in Town: The Well-stocked Cookie Cupboard: For Foolproof Cookies, Select the Right Ingredients and Use Them Properly”, in Myrna Blyth, editor, Ladies’ Home Journal, New York, N.Y.: Meredith Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 154, column 2:
2. (figuratively) An inspection of an object by smelling it, as for cleanliness of clothing or freshness of food. ▸ An informal check of whether an idea or proposal is credible, ethical, etc., using one's common sense or sense of propriety.
   • Near-synonyms: reality check, sanity check, sanity test
   • But does it pass the sniff test?
   • I'm like the seasoned bachelor. I know what I'm looking for, and I don't have the time or inclination to wait until it finds me. No more protracted sniff tests, no more playing my cards close to the table. I have nothing to lose should my instincts turn out to be dead wrong. 2001 February, Melinda Marshall, “You Gotta Have Friends”, in Myrna Blyth, editor, Ladies’ Home Journal, New York, N.Y.: Meredith Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 50, column 3:
   • After almost a year of tortuous deliberation, pro-Western forces at Delta prevailed, and the board agreed to purchase Western for a price which was over ten times the market price of Western when Delta had begun its early "sniff tests." 1988, Sidney F. Davis, “The Wrong Stuff”, in Delta Air Lines: Debunking the Myth, Atlanta, Ga.: Peachtree Publishers, →ISBN, pages 153–154:
3. A medical procedure involving a person taking quick, short sniffs which cause contraction of the diaphragm during a fluoroscopy, enabling abnormalities of the diaphragm to be detected; diaphragm fluoroscopy.
   • The most reliable radiographic maneuver to detect paradoxical movement is the sniff test, consisting of rapidly repeated inspirations through the nostrils during fluoroscopy. Normally, both hemidiaphragms descend sharply during a sniff, but with unilateral disphragmatic paralysis there is paradoxical upward motion of the affected side. 1995, Katherine Malagari, Robert G. Fraser, edited by Charis Roussos, The Thorax […] Part C: Disease (Lung Biology in Health and Disease; 85), 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Marcel Dekker, →ISBN, part VI (Diagnosis), page 1771:

Forms

Coordinates

smoke test

Synonyms

sanity test · reality check · nose test · smell test · nose test · sanity check · smell test

Translations (3)

fi nopeaa sisäänhengitystä käyttävä testi (medical procedure involving a person taking quick, short sniffs which cause contraction of the diaphragm during a fluoroscopy) · fi mutu-testi (informal check of whether an idea or proposal is credible, ethical, etc., using one’s common sense or sense of propriety) · fi hajukoe (inspection of an object by smelling it)