sniff test
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English
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Etymology 1
[edit]By 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
[edit]sniff 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
[edit]Etymology 2
[edit]Noun
[edit]sniff 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.