sniff test
English
editPronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Etymology 1
editBy metaphorical extension from an actual test one might perform with one's sense of smell, as for freshness of food or cleanness of clothes.
Noun
editsniff test (plural sniff tests)
- (idiomatic) An informal check of an idea or proposal, using one's common sense or sense of propriety.
- Synonym: reality check
See also
editEtymology 2
editNoun
editsniff test (plural sniff tests)
- A fluoroscopic medical test during which the examinee is asked to "sniff" (quickly breathe in through the nose); diaphragm fluoroscopy.
- 1995, Charis Roussos, The Thorax: Disease, page 1771:
- The most reliable radiographic maneuver to detect paradoxical movement is the sniff test, consisting of rapidly repeated inspirations through the nostrils during fluoroscopy.