smell fishy
To seem suspicious.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“That deal sounds too good to be true and smells fishy.”
“He offered to sell me a brand new phone for twenty dollars, which really smells fishy.”
“Although the company presented a polished report, the sudden disappearance of their financial records made the entire situation smell fishy to the auditors.”
- 01
smell a rat
To sense something suspicious.
- 02
smell blood
To sense that one has an advantage over an adversary or rival.
- 03
smell like a rose
To be regarded as appealing, virtuous, or respectable; to be untainted or unharmed.
- 04
smell like a tart's handbag
To smell strongly of perfume.
- 05
smell of an oily rag
A very small amount, or the absolute minimum (usually of money).
- 06
smell of the lamp
To bear marks of great study and labor.
- 07
smell of the shop
To indicate too distinctively one's occupation or profession.
- 08
smell one's own farts
To become conceited; to believe that one's achievements are greater than they really are.
Last updated August 10, 2026