smell/stink to high heaven

smell to high heaven

1. To have a very strong unpleasant scent. Can you take this trash out? It smells to high heaven. Ugh, something in this refrigerator smells to high heaven!

2. To be or seem extremely disreputable, suspicious, or corrupt. This deal between the company and the mayor's office smells to high heaven, if you ask me. This town smelled to high heaven before I came in and brought some law and order to it.

See also: heaven, high, smell, to

stink to high heaven

1. To have a very strong, unpleasant odor. Can you take this trash out? It stinks to high heaven. Ugh, something in this refrigerator stinks to high heaven!

2. To be or seem extremely disreputable, suspicious, or corrupt. This deal between the company and the mayor's office stinks to high heaven, if you ask me. This town stank to high heaven before I came in and brought some law and order to it.

See also: heaven, high, stink, to

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

stink to high heaven

 and smell to high heaven

Fig. to smell very bad. What happened? This place stinks to high heaven. This meat smells to high heaven. Throw it away!

See also: heaven, high, stink, to

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

stink to high heaven

Also, smell to high heaven. Be of very poor quality; also, be suspect or in bad repute. For example, This plan of yours stinks to high heaven, or His financial schemes smell to high heaven; I'm sure they're dishonest. This expression alludes to something so rank that it can be smelled from a great distance. [c. 1600]

See also: heaven, high, stink, to

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

stink (or smell) to high heaven

have a very strong and unpleasant odour.

See also: heaven, high, stink, to

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

smell/stink to high ˈheaven

(informal)
1 have a very strong and unpleasant smell: When was the last time you cleaned the dog kennel? It stinks to high heaven.
2 seem to be very dishonest or morally unacceptable: This whole deal stinks to high heaven. I’m sure somebody was bribed.

See also: heaven, high, smell, stink, to

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

smell to (high) heaven

1. in. to smell very bad. This kitchen smells to high heaven. What besides garlic are you cooking?

2. in. to give signals that cause suspicion. Something’s wrong here. Somebody blabbed. This setup smells to high heaven.

See also: heaven, high, smell, to

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.