smell like a rose
To be regarded as appealing, virtuous, or respectable; to be untainted or unharmed.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He made a mistake, but he still smells like a rose.”
“Even though the project failed, the manager managed to smell like a rose by blaming his team.”
“Despite his clear involvement in the scandal, the politician emerged from the investigation smelling like a rose, leaving his reputation entirely intact.”
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and the like
And other similar items; et cetera.
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be like
To say.
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bed of roses
A pleasant or easy situation; an untroubled existence.
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bloom is off the rose
The person, object, or situation identified in the context has lost its novelty, freshness, appeal, or acceptability.
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built like a brick outhouse
Synonym of built like a brick shithouse.
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built like a brick shipyard
Synonym of built like a brick shithouse.
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built like a brick shithouse
Of a man, having a muscular body, particularly with well-developed muscles of the chest, arms and abdominals.
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come up roses
To enter into a condition or situation which is favorable; to develop in a pleasing or advantageous manner.
Last updated August 10, 2026