Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

sniff

2 noun
     
sniff2 [countable]
1 when you breathe in air noisily through your nose, for example in order to smell something, because you have a cold, or in order to show your disapproval:
a sniff of disapproval
She gave a loud sniff.
2 British English informal a small amount or sign of something [= hint]
sniff of
He got us into this mess, and then left at the first sniff of trouble!
3

have a sniff around/round

British English informal to examine a place carefully
4

not get a sniff of something

British English informal to not have any chance of getting something or being successful:
He never even got a sniff of the target.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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