# smell one's own farts

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/smell-ones-own-farts
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To become conceited; to believe that one's achievements are greater than they really are.

## Examples

- He is starting to smell his own farts after that small promotion.
- After his first book became a minor success, he began to smell his own farts and stopped listening to his editor.
- Ever since he won that local amateur cooking competition, he has really started to smell his own farts and refuses to follow any recipes but his own.
- The politician began to smell his own farts, convinced that his mediocre policy changes were actually revolutionary shifts in the national landscape.

## Origin

The term is derived from the biological reality that an individual may become accustomed to, or eventually develop a preference for, the scent of their own flatulence, while remaining capable of identifying the emissions of others as offensive. This physiological habituation serves as the basis for the metaphor. The idiom likens this olfactory acclimatisation to a state of being socially or intellectually out of touch. It suggests a person has become insulated from the reality of their own mediocrity, much as the nose might become insulated from a familiar unpleasantness.

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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.