a preparation for smelling, essentially of ammonium carbonate with some agreeable scent, used as a stimulant and restorative.
Origin
1830-40
Examples from the web for smelling salts
However, please remember to have a soft chair and some smelling salts to hand when they give you the estimate.
Most people are familiar with the odor of ammonia in smelling salts or household cleaning agents.
As she throws her head back in an exaggerated gesture of romantic agony, one's first impulse is to run for the smelling salts.
British Dictionary definitions for smelling salts
smelling salts
plural noun
1.
a pungent preparation containing crystals of ammonium carbonate that has a stimulant action when sniffed in cases of faintness, headache, etc
smelling salts in Medicine
smelling saltspl.n. Any of various preparations of ammonium carbonate and perfume, sniffed as a restorative or stimulant especially to relieve faintness and headache.