nostrilful
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Noun
[edit]nostrilful (plural nostrilfuls or nostrilsful)
- The amount of a substance that can fit in a nostril.
- 1969 February 15, “Angling: Cliff Parker says: It’s a wise salmon that knows its own father”, in The Birmingham Post, number 34,408, page III:
- Some of his contemporaries from other waters are greeted with nostrilsful of foul water, reeking of detergent and factory waste.
Usage notes
[edit]This word is rarely, if ever, used literally, and usually describes a small amount of something. It is often used to describe smells (e.g. he inhaled a nostrilful of that floral scent).