Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

smell the barn

/ˌsmɛl ðə ˈbaɹn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.87 in modern English

Syllables: smell the barn
IPA: /ˌsmɛl ðə ˈbaɹn/

19

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

1

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To act with renewed energy or speed or to experience heightened anticipation as one approaches a destination, goal, or other desired outcome.

American usage; Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"We’ll get home right quick—old Dobbin knows the way better than you and I do, and he can smell the barn besides."
"Anyhow, Congress, like the old horse that starts into a long deferred trot when she "smells the barn," began to show action and as hearts on Capitol Hill leaned homeward, thoughts in the White House turned to the open road—or at least the railroad."
"[…] Charlie Company could leave as early as mid-October—which is soon but not quite soon enough for them. "The horses smell the barn right now," said Capt. Clark D. Carr, the battalion's Protestant chaplain, who knows perhaps better than anyone how badly they want to leave."
"Smelling the barn can result in driving too fast, not clearing weapons properly, and bypassing ammunition-recovery procedures."
"Antyllus leaned his ear closer to the slave at his feet without taking his eyes off his over-eager team [of horses], which already smelt the barn ahead of them."
"[H]e [Douglas MacArthur] had smelled the gunpowder again and in old age was once again the dashing young brigadier of World War I; […] This close, he simply couldn't abide sitting still. Like a horse, he smelled the barn and was determined to push ahead."

Etymology

A reference to a livestock animal returning to its barn at the end of the day, especially a horse drawing a carriage which is on the way back home.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌsmɛl ðə ˈbaɹn/
British English: /ˌsmɛl ðə ˈbaːn/

Usage

American usage
Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

smells the barn (present, singular) smelling the barn (participle, present) smelled the barn (participle, past) smelled the barn (past) smelt the barn (participle, past) smelt the barn (past)

Phrases

home stretch

Frequently Paired Words

home stretch

Questions

How do you pronounce smell the barn?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌsmɛl ðə ˈbaɹn/.
What does smell the barn mean?: To act with renewed energy or speed or to experience heightened anticipation as one approaches a destination, goal, or other desired outcome.
Where does smell the barn come from?: A reference to a livestock animal returning to its barn at the end of the day, especially a horse drawing a carriage which is on the way back home.

How to pronounce smell the barn

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