smelling bottle
Noun: A small bottle, typically decorative and portable, designed to contain and dispense smelling salts—a pungent aromatic preparation used to revive a person who feels faint or lightheaded.
The term specifically refers to the container itself, not the salts. It describes a vessel, often made of glass, metal, or ceramic, with a tight-fitting stopper to prevent the volatile salts from evaporating. * She carried a smelling bottle in her reticule in case the heat of the crowded room became too much. * The antique silver smelling bottle was part of the lady's traveling kit.
Historically, smelling bottles were common accessories in the 18th and 19th centuries, especially among women, as a remedy for swooning or nausea. They are now primarily considered antiques or collectibles. * The museum's exhibit on Victorian life featured a collection of ornate smelling bottles.
- Smelling salts (noun phrase): The aromatic compound, usually ammonium carbonate with added scent, contained within a smelling bottle. This is the substance, not the container.
- Vinaigrette (noun): A specific historical type of small ornamental box or bottle, often made of gold or silver, containing a sponge soaked in vinegar or aromatic spirits, used for a similar reviving purpose.
- Sal volatile bottle (archaic, noun phrase): A bottle for , an old term for smelling salts.
- Reviving bottle (descriptive, noun phrase).
- To break out the smelling salts: An idiom meaning to prepare for or react to a shocking or overwhelming situation, often used humorously.
- When he announced his sudden retirement, it was enough to make them break out the smelling salts.
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a bottle containing smelling salts
