reach one's nostrils
Verb phrase: - To be smelled; to have a strong or noticeable odor that is detected by someone's sense of smell. It describes the moment a scent becomes perceptible to a person.
This phrase is used to indicate that a smell has become strong enough or has traveled far enough to be noticed by someone. It often describes the arrival of a distinct, and frequently unpleasant, aroma. - The primary verb is "reach," which in this context means to arrive at or extend to a sensory organ (the nostrils). - The possessive pronoun "one's" (e.g., my, your, his, her) specifies whose nostrils are detecting the smell. - It is typically used in the simple past tense (e.g., "reached my nostrils") to describe a specific moment of detection.
- Basic Usage:
- The smell of smoke reached my nostrils just before I heard the alarm.
- A delicious aroma of baking bread reached her nostrils from the kitchen.
- As we entered the old cellar, the damp, musty odor reached our nostrils.
- Figurative Use: While primarily literal, it can be used figuratively to suggest the perception of an intangible quality, like suspicion or scandal.
- The faint scent of corruption had finally reached the public's nostrils.
- Reach one's nose: A less common, near-identical variant.
- Assail one's nostrils: A more forceful and literary alternative, implying the smell is unpleasant and aggressive.
- The stench from the dumpster assailed our nostrils.
- Meet one's nostrils: A poetic or formal synonym.
- Drift to: A simpler, more neutral phrase for a smell traveling.
- The scent of flowers drifted to us on the breeze.
- Be detected: A more clinical and general term.
- Become apparent (to the sense of smell): A descriptive phrase.
- Waft to someone: Suggests a gentle, floating motion of the scent.
- Hit one in the nostrils: An informal and emphatic phrase, often for a sudden, strong, bad smell.
- The smell of ammonia hit me in the nostrils as I cleaned.
- Fill the air: Describes a smell becoming pervasive, which precedes it reaching one's nostrils.
- The scent of pine filled the air and soon reached our nostrils.
This phrase is inherently idiomatic. One does not physically "reach" for a smell with their nostrils; instead, the smell travels to and is perceived by them. It is a standard, vivid expression for describing olfactory experiences in narrative and descriptive writing.
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be smelled; have a strong odor