smell test

smell test

A hypothetical pass/fail "test" that gauges the moral acceptability or trustworthiness of someone or something. The new pro-drilling bill that's being put through Congress doesn't pass the smell test, and many are suspicious that Big Oil has been responsible for its inception.
See also: smell, test
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • pass the smell test
  • fail the smell test
  • scrape through
  • trust, but verify
  • verify
  • stop at
  • stop at (something)
  • take a chance on
  • take a chance on (someone or something)
  • babysitter test
References in periodicals archive
"Smell tests could help doctors spot older adults who are at greater risk of developing dementia."
The blind smell test found that nine out of 20 people either couldn't tell the difference or preferred the cheaper perfume.
Table 1--treatments and formulations Sample Meaning and function LA Control with low ammonia LAB Control with low ammonia and bactericide HA Control with high ammonia TBL Treatment with tannin, bactericide and ionic surfactant, pH 8 TBR Treatment with tannin, bactericide and non-ionic surfactant pH 8 Table 2--results of smell test Smell score Time (hours) Sample 6 30 54 78 150 222 318 408 LA 10 6 Coa (a) Coa Coa Coa Coa Coa LAB Am (b) Am Am Am Am Am 5 4 HA Am Am Am Am Am Am 3 2 TBL 10 7 7 7 7 6 4 5 TBR 10 10 10 9 9 8 5 8 (a) Coa means the sample has coagulated.
Always do the smell test. On first sniff, does it seem like a good idea?
But we need to start applying the smell test more often to those differences of opinion, especially if one side of an argument smells more like what the horse drops.
The calls to a source to explain what they meant, or to walk you through a complex government process because it's your job to make sure it passes the smell test.
"I'm pro-life, but I'm not a single issue voter?" That just doesn't pass the "smell test." It doesn't even pass the "straight-face" test.
Consider this step as the self-assessment smell test.
"My thinking is, if we're close to not passing the smell test, we're not going to take it on.
These can be found in roles as varied as interviewing proposed business partners about their own FCPA compliance program, to triaging and then investigating internally reported complaints about potential bribery and corruption, to simply recognizing that an explanation for a transaction does not pass the basic smell test.
That explanation didn't pass the smell test. It is true that the newly reopened British Embassy in Tehran is not yet issuing visas.
Similarly, researchers at the University Florida devised a simple smell test using peanut butter.
Advisors to nonprofits should make sure that their organizations are aware of this, especially before entering into any transactions or activities that may not pass the "smell test." "Unrelated business activity" is reported separately and subject to tax, but this cannot represent a significant portion of a nonprofit's operations or compromise its mission.
"Although the settlement may not Cypass the smell test,' as the saying goes, it is not serious misconduct," he added.
The theory that Indian interests funnelled money to the Clinton Foundation in an effort to ensure Hillary Clinton's support for the US - India nuclear deal "doesn't even come close to passing the smell test", Times of India reported today quoting a Clinton campaign spokesperson.