scent (redirected from scentless)

put someone off the scent

Fig. to distract someone or a group from following a scent or trail. (From put a dog off the scent; the scent or trail can be purely figurative. (See also put someone off the track.) The clever maneuvers of the bandits put the sheriffs posse off the scent. The mob laundered the drug money to try to put investigators off the trail.

See also: put

put a dog off the scent

to distract a dog from trailing the scent of someone or an animal. The odor of a skunk put the dogs off the scent.

See also: dog, put

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put/throw somebody off the scent

if you throw someone off the scent, you give them false or confusing information to try to stop them discovering something

Usage notes: A scent is a smell produced by an animal which can act as a signal to other animals trying to find or follow it.

The police were thrown off the scent for a while by false evidence given by two of the witnesses.

See also: put

scent blood

to believe that someone you are competing against is having difficulties or problems and to use this to get an advantage for yourself The manager has already made some serious errors of judgement and it is clear that other employees scent blood.

See also: blood

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throw somebody off the scent

to give someone false or confusing information so that they will not discover something The police were thrown off the scent for a while by two of the witnesses, who were found later to be lying.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of throw a dog off the scent (to cause a dog to lose the smell that leads it to a person or animal)

See also: throw