smellies

Meanings

1. 1nounpluralinformalBritish

   perfume or scented products, especially when talked about in a light, playful way

   Grammar: Used as a plural noun: 'the smellies are in the bag'. It has no singular form in this sense.

   Patterns

   • buy some smellies
   • a bag of smellies
   • give someone smellies

   She bought her mum some smellies for her birthday.

   The gift shop sells candles and smellies near the counter.

   He opened the box and found soap, bath oil and other smellies inside.

2. 2nounpluralinformalBritish

   things that have a strong or unpleasant smell, such as dirty clothes or food waste

   Grammar: Also plural; the meaning depends on context, so 'put the smellies in the wash' means smelly clothes.

   Patterns

   • put the smellies in the wash
   • take out the smellies

   Don't leave your smellies in the gym bag all week.

   He carried the smellies down to the bin before the kitchen started to stink.

Common combinations

buy some smellies

I need to buy some smellies for my sister's birthday.

a bag of smellies

She gave me a bag of smellies from the market.

bath smellies

The hamper was full of bath smellies and soft towels.

smellies and candles

The shop window was full of smellies and candles for Christmas.

Synonyms and how they differ

perfume

The normal, neutral word for a scented liquid; 'smellies' is informal and often refers to several scented products together.

fragrance

More formal and often used for the pleasant smell itself or a product, not as a playful plural.

toiletries

A neutral word for soap, shampoo and similar items; it does not suggest a pleasant smell.

Word family

smelly adjective

having a strong, usually unpleasant smell

smell noun

the quality that you notice with your nose

smell verb

to notice something with your nose, or to have a particular smell

Commonly confused: smellies or smelly?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “smellies”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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