The Magnifiscent Proboscis!
by Marian Bendeth, 20 November 2006
To quote an old adage, "to smell divine" is something fragrance devotees all aspire to. Unfortunately, the very act of smelling is not considered very important these days, especially when we depend far too much on sight, touch and hearing for stimuli. Consider that babies and toddlers are literally inundated with a plethora of colourful objects, games and videos aimed at improving motor skills and reading techniques, but the education on how to smell, rarely, if ever, gets a sniff. Once we become adults, we tend to rely heavily on techno-junk, providing a surfeit of sensorial media bytes to satisfy the senses. But what ever happened to the nose?
It wasn’t long ago that the English language possessed phrases in which we still pepper our daily conversations, We communicated "through the nose!" figuratively in speech and prose. Consider the possibility that "Heh, it’s as plain as the nose on your face"! or right "under your nose" and if one is indifferent, then "there is no skin off my nose!" which is nothing to "thumb your nose at". Besides, you don't want to be "led by the nose" do you?
To meddle in one’s affairs would call you a "nosy parker" or "sniffing around where you don’t belong" and one shouldn’t "cut off their nose to spite their face!". One should always "keep their nose clean"! You don’t want to "blow it"!
Although, if one had a "nose for these things", they shouldn’t "stick it in the air" or "bend it out of joint"; just "keep it to the grindstone" in case you take a "nose dive".
According to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, something really did "smell rotten in the state of Denmark" which was nothing to "sneeze at"! If one "smells danger" they may "be smelling a dirty rat", "smell trouble", or worse, "the stench of death". If all is lost, one can hear the familiar refrain, "this stinks!"
The art of romance may procure a "whiff of perfume" which is nothing to "wipe your nose" at. For "sniffing one’s beauty on fragrant air" some consider to be "on the nose" while decadence may result in the "smell of sweet perfume"resulting in one’s "paying through the nose" for the cost of a dalliance!
To desire something or someone so badly that "one can smell it" but is out of reach can be painful. But if attained, the old refrain "heh, this smells
like a winner" might afford one to "stop and smell the roses". That would be a"breath of fresh air".
The "smell of old money" can also be conducive for a fabulous reputation, but little or no money can "bend your nose out of shape" and result in one’s "looking down their nose" at the lower classes.
It’s all quite simple when you have a "nose for these things"
So, the language and phrases of the primitive nose and its role in our everyday behaviours is more commonly used than imagined.
To inhale and exhale is the very existence of life.
So whether it be the scent of an unforgettable fragrance, or the smell of freshly minted bank notes, I wish you all " The sweet smell of success"!
About the author
Marian Bendeth is a Global Fragrance Expert based out of Toronto, Canada. SixthSen@aol.com. Marian has won three fragrance industry editorial awards for her writing.
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