smell of the shop: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  British EnglishGeneral EnglishinformalfigurativeMachine
  • To bear the characteristics or evident experience of a particular workplace or trade; to appear familiar with the practices of a shop, workshop, or business.
  • To display practical, trade‑specific knowledge or mannerisms that identify someone as having worked in a given shop or industry.

  Examples

  Beta

  • After years working in the bakery, Sarah’s hands smelled of the shop, rough and flour-dusted.

    After years working in the bakery, Sarah’s hands smelled of the shop, rough and flour-dusted.

  • You can tell he smells of the shop; his confident way with tools shows his experience.

    You can tell he smells of the shop; his confident way with tools shows his experience.

  • The apprentice smelled of the shop after a full day of manual labor and handling machinery.

    The apprentice smelled of the shop after a full day of manual labor and handling machinery.