Use take a whiff of when someone deliberately smells something once or briefly. Use catch a whiff of when the smell reaches someone by chance.
Use take a whiff of when someone deliberately smells something once or briefly. Use catch a whiff of when the smell reaches someone by chance.
The phrase normally takes of before the thing smelled, and it should not be used for reading, listening, or considering an idea.
Built from take plus the noun whiff, meaning a slight gust, puff, or inhaled smell. Whiff is recorded from the late sixteenth century and is treated by dictionaries as imitative in origin.
What does take a whiff mean?
It means to smell something briefly, often by breathing in once through the nose.
Do you say take a whiff of or take a whiff at?
The usual phrasing is take a whiff of something.
Is take a whiff formal?
It is ordinary conversational English and is more natural in casual or descriptive writing than in highly formal prose.
What is the difference between take a whiff and catch a whiff?
Take a whiff is deliberate; catch a whiff usually means you notice a smell by chance.
Can take a whiff be used for ideas or documents?
No. It refers to smelling, not to reviewing or considering something.
What is the past tense?
The past tense is took a whiff.