See smell the barn in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for smell the barn meaning in English (4.4kB)
{
"etymology_text": "A reference to a livestock animal returning to its barn at the end of the day, especially a horse drawing a carriage which is on the way back home.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "smells the barn",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "smelling the barn",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "smelled the barn",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "smelled the barn",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "smelt the barn",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "smelt the barn",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "smell<,,:smelt> the barn"
},
"expansion": "smell the barn (third-person singular simple present smells the barn, present participle smelling the barn, simple past and past participle smelled the barn or smelt the barn)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "American English",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "We’ll get home right quick—old Dobbin knows the way better than you and I do, and he can smell the barn besides.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1935 August 12, H[ilmar] R[obert] Baukhage, “In the Executive Offices”, in David Lawrence, editor, The United States News: The Weekly Newsmagazine of National Affairs, volume 3, number 32, Washington, D.C., →OCLC, page 4, column 2",
"text": "Anyhow, Congress, like the old horse that starts into a long deferred trot when she \"smells the barn,\" began to show action and as hearts on Capitol Hill leaned homeward, thoughts in the White House turned to the open road—or at least the railroad.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2001 summer, Bryan P. McCoy, “Identify and Combat Five Treacherous Phenomena”, in Ground Warrior, Norfolk, Va.: Naval Safety Center, United States Navy, →OCLC",
"text": "Smelling the barn can result in driving too fast, not clearing weapons properly, and bypassing ammunition-recovery procedures.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2005, Helena P. Schrader, chapter 3, in The Olympic Charioteer, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, page 27",
"text": "Antyllus leaned his ear closer to the slave at his feet without taking his eyes off his over-eager team [of horses], which already smelt the barn ahead of them.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2016 May, Walter R. Borneman, “Return to Manila”, in MacArthur at War: World War II in the Pacific, New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, page 465",
"text": "[H]e [Douglas MacArthur] had smelled the gunpowder again and in old age was once again the dashing young brigadier of World War I; […] This close, he simply couldn't abide sitting still. Like a horse, he smelled the barn and was determined to push ahead.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To act with renewed energy or speed or to experience heightened anticipation as one approaches a destination, goal, or other desired outcome."
],
"id": "en-smell_the_barn-en-verb-QvrDnr63",
"links": [
[
"act",
"act#Verb"
],
[
"renewed",
"renewed#Adjective"
],
[
"energy",
"energy"
],
[
"speed",
"speed#Noun"
],
[
"experience",
"experience#Verb"
],
[
"heightened",
"heightened#Adjective"
],
[
"anticipation",
"anticipation"
],
[
"approaches",
"approach#Verb"
],
[
"destination",
"destination"
],
[
"goal",
"goal#Noun"
],
[
"desired",
"desired#Adjective"
],
[
"outcome",
"outcome"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive, chiefly US, idiomatic) To act with renewed energy or speed or to experience heightened anticipation as one approaches a destination, goal, or other desired outcome."
],
"tags": [
"US",
"idiomatic",
"intransitive"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to act with renewed energy or speed or to experience heightened anticipation as one approaches a destination, goal, or other desired outcome",
"word": "saada tuulta purjeisiin"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˌsmɛl ðə ˈbaːn/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˌsmɛl ðə ˈbaɹn/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"rhymes": "-ɑː(ɹ)n"
},
{
"audio": "En-au-smell the barn.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0a/En-au-smell_the_barn.ogg/En-au-smell_the_barn.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/En-au-smell_the_barn.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "smell the barn"
}
{
"etymology_text": "A reference to a livestock animal returning to its barn at the end of the day, especially a horse drawing a carriage which is on the way back home.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "smells the barn",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "smelling the barn",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "smelled the barn",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "smelled the barn",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "smelt the barn",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "smelt the barn",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "smell<,,:smelt> the barn"
},
"expansion": "smell the barn (third-person singular simple present smells the barn, present participle smelling the barn, simple past and past participle smelled the barn or smelt the barn)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"American English",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English idioms",
"English intransitive verbs",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links",
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"English verbs",
"Rhymes:English/ɑː(ɹ)n",
"Rhymes:English/ɑː(ɹ)n/3 syllables"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "We’ll get home right quick—old Dobbin knows the way better than you and I do, and he can smell the barn besides.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1935 August 12, H[ilmar] R[obert] Baukhage, “In the Executive Offices”, in David Lawrence, editor, The United States News: The Weekly Newsmagazine of National Affairs, volume 3, number 32, Washington, D.C., →OCLC, page 4, column 2",
"text": "Anyhow, Congress, like the old horse that starts into a long deferred trot when she \"smells the barn,\" began to show action and as hearts on Capitol Hill leaned homeward, thoughts in the White House turned to the open road—or at least the railroad.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2001 summer, Bryan P. McCoy, “Identify and Combat Five Treacherous Phenomena”, in Ground Warrior, Norfolk, Va.: Naval Safety Center, United States Navy, →OCLC",
"text": "Smelling the barn can result in driving too fast, not clearing weapons properly, and bypassing ammunition-recovery procedures.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2005, Helena P. Schrader, chapter 3, in The Olympic Charioteer, Lincoln, Neb.: iUniverse, page 27",
"text": "Antyllus leaned his ear closer to the slave at his feet without taking his eyes off his over-eager team [of horses], which already smelt the barn ahead of them.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2016 May, Walter R. Borneman, “Return to Manila”, in MacArthur at War: World War II in the Pacific, New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, page 465",
"text": "[H]e [Douglas MacArthur] had smelled the gunpowder again and in old age was once again the dashing young brigadier of World War I; […] This close, he simply couldn't abide sitting still. Like a horse, he smelled the barn and was determined to push ahead.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To act with renewed energy or speed or to experience heightened anticipation as one approaches a destination, goal, or other desired outcome."
],
"links": [
[
"act",
"act#Verb"
],
[
"renewed",
"renewed#Adjective"
],
[
"energy",
"energy"
],
[
"speed",
"speed#Noun"
],
[
"experience",
"experience#Verb"
],
[
"heightened",
"heightened#Adjective"
],
[
"anticipation",
"anticipation"
],
[
"approaches",
"approach#Verb"
],
[
"destination",
"destination"
],
[
"goal",
"goal#Noun"
],
[
"desired",
"desired#Adjective"
],
[
"outcome",
"outcome"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive, chiefly US, idiomatic) To act with renewed energy or speed or to experience heightened anticipation as one approaches a destination, goal, or other desired outcome."
],
"tags": [
"US",
"idiomatic",
"intransitive"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˌsmɛl ðə ˈbaːn/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˌsmɛl ðə ˈbaɹn/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"rhymes": "-ɑː(ɹ)n"
},
{
"audio": "En-au-smell the barn.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0a/En-au-smell_the_barn.ogg/En-au-smell_the_barn.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/En-au-smell_the_barn.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to act with renewed energy or speed or to experience heightened anticipation as one approaches a destination, goal, or other desired outcome",
"word": "saada tuulta purjeisiin"
}
],
"word": "smell the barn"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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