whiff1

[hwif, wif] /ʰwɪf, wɪf/
noun
1.
a slight gust or puff of wind, air, vapor, smoke, or the like:
a whiff of fresh air.
2.
a slight trace of odor or smell:
a whiff of onions.
3.
a single inhalation or exhalation of air, tobacco smoke, or the like.
4.
a trace or hint:
a whiff of scandal.
5.
a slight outburst:
a little whiff of temper.
verb (used without object)
6.
to blow or come in whiffs or puffs, as wind or smoke.
7.
to inhale or exhale whiffs, as in smoking tobacco.
8.
Baseball Slang. (of a batter) to strike out by swinging at and missing the pitch charged as the third strike.
verb (used with object)
9.
to blow or drive with a whiff or puff, as the wind does.
10.
to inhale or exhale (air, tobacco smoke, etc.) in whiffs.
11.
to smoke (a pipe, cigar, etc.).
12.
Baseball Slang. (of a pitcher) to cause (a batter) to whiff.
Origin
1585-95; aspirated variant of Middle English weffe whiff (of steam or vapor)
Related forms
whiffer, noun

whiff2

[hwif, wif] /ʰwɪf, wɪf/
noun
1.
any of several flatfishes having both eyes on the left side of the head, of the genus Citharichthys, as C. cornutus (horned whiff) inhabiting Atlantic waters from New England to Brazil.
Compare left-eyed flounder.
Origin
1705-15; origin uncertain
Examples from the web for whiff
  • Use their incredible sense of smell to whiff out explosives.
  • When a group of bed bugs gets disturbed, you may get a whiff of that odor, which is similar to the odor stink bugs give off.
  • Your family and friends will wake up quickly after getting a whiff of these fluffy pancakes.
  • For some people, that first whiff of the uncorrupted outdoors might trigger a set of survival instincts.
  • Ollie, laying in bed upstairs, got a whiff of the baking cookies.
  • There is also a whiff of hypocrisy in this line of reasoning.
  • We have added a couple of photos today for you to get a whiff of this cool new discovery.
  • And get an unlovely whiff of the world's biggest flower.
  • We waded when the water dropped to knee-deep in summer and carried a faint whiff of the sewage treatment plant upstream.
  • At the firs whiff, every engine on every train will grind to a collective halt until the track is returned.
British Dictionary definitions for whiff

whiff1

/wɪf/
noun
1.
a passing odour
2.
a brief gentle gust of air
3.
a single inhalation or exhalation from the mouth or nose
verb
4.
to come, convey, or go in whiffs; puff or waft
5.
to take in or breathe out (tobacco smoke, air, etc)
6.
(transitive) to sniff or smell
7.
(intransitive) (Brit, slang) to have an unpleasant smell; stink
Derived Forms
whiffer, noun
Word Origin
C16: of imitative origin

whiff2

/wɪf/
noun
1.
(mainly Brit) a narrow clinker-built skiff having outriggers, for one oarsman
Word Origin
C19: special use of whiff1
Word Origin and History for whiff
n.

13c., weffe "foul scent or odor," of imitative origin. Modern form became popular late 16c. with tobacco smoking, probably influenced by whiffle "blow in gusts or puffs" (1560s). The verb in the baseball slang sense "to swing at a ball and miss" first recorded 1913.

Slang definitions & phrases for whiff

whiff

noun
  1. A swing at and miss of a baseball; also, a strikeout
  2. Cocaine; snow: Hey, man, know where I can score some whiff? (1970s+ Narcotics)
verb
  1. To strike at a ball and miss (1916+ Baseball)
  2. To strike out: surpassed Sandy Koufax's single-season strikeout record, whiffing 383 batters (1916+ Baseball)
  3. To inhale cocaine into the nose; snort, toot (1970s+ Narcotics)