nose test

1. A medical examination of the nose and nasal passages. If your allergies are that bad, you should really see an ENT about a nose test.

2. The act of smelling something in order to make a determination about it. If you're worried that the leftovers have gone bad, give 'em the nose test—that'll tell you pretty quick.

3. A hypothetical pass/fail "test" that gauges the moral acceptability or trustworthiness of someone or something. The new pro-drilling bill that's being put through Congress doesn't pass the nose test, and many are suspicious that Big Oil has been responsible for its inception.