# smell like a tart's handbag

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/smell-like-a-tarts-handbag
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To smell strongly of perfume.

## Examples

- That room smells like a tart's handbag.
- She sprayed so much cheap perfume that the whole office started to smell like a tart's handbag.
- The small elevator was stifling, filled with a cloying floral scent that made the air smell like a tart's handbag.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.