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A Smelly Question

Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 7:13 pm
by Slava
The American Scholar asks "Why so Few English Words for Odors?"

Re: A Smelly Question

Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 8:52 pm
by Perry Lassiter
However we do use a number of adjectives before the word smell, as a visit to any thesaurus will quickly show. Pungent, acrid, metallic (often in ref to blood), pleasant, flowery, etc.

Re: A Smelly Question

Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:09 pm
by Slava
True, but do not these words describe the effect of the smell, not the smell itself? I gather that's the gist of the piece.