Crossword clues for sniffing
sniffing
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Sniff \Sniff\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sniffedor Snift; p. pr. & vb. n. Sniffing.] [OE. sneven; akin to snivel, snuff; cf. Dan. snive to sniff. See Snuff, v. t.] To draw air audibly up the nose; to snuff; -- sometimes done as a gesture of suspicion, offense, or contempt.
So ye grow squeamish, gods, and sniff at heaven.
--M.
Arnold.
Sniffing \Sniff"ing\, n. (Physiol.) A rapid inspiratory act, in which the mouth is kept shut and the air drawn in through the nose.
Wiktionary
n. A sniff sound or action. vb. (present participle of sniff English)
Wikipedia
Sniffing can refer to:
- Inhalation
- Sniffing (behavior)
- Packet analysis
Sniffing is a perceptually-relevant behavior, defined as the active sampling of odors through the nasal cavity for the purpose of information acquisition. This behavior, displayed by all terrestrial vertebrates, is typically identified based upon changes in respiratory frequency and/or amplitude, and is often studied in the context of odor guided behaviors and olfactory perceptual tasks. Sniffing is quantified by measuring intra-nasal pressure or flow or air or, while less accurate, through a strain gauge on the chest to measure total respiratory volume. Strategies for sniffing behavior vary depending upon the animal, with small animals (rats, mice, hamsters) displaying sniffing frequencies ranging from 4 to 12 Hz but larger animals (humans) sniffing at much lower frequencies, usually less than 2 Hz. Subserving sniffing behaviors, evidence for an "olfactomotor" circuit in the brain exists, wherein perception or expectation of an odor can trigger brain respiratory center to allow for the modulation of sniffing frequency and amplitude and thus acquisition of odor information. Sniffing is analogous to other stimulus sampling behaviors, including visual saccades, active touch, and whisker movements in small animals (viz., whisking). Atypical sniffing has been reported in cases of neurological disorders, especially those disorders characterized by impaired motor function and olfactory perception.
Usage examples of "sniffing".
His nose was busy sniffing at the air in search of the familiar scent of a Garou in the midst of the city stink.
He seemed to be looking for something, peering into shop windows, sniffing at the air.
Koch had finished his virulent and partly comic wrangle with Pasteur, who was just then with prodigious enthusiasm saving the lives of sheep and cattle in France, the discoverer of the tubercle bacillus started sniffing along the trail of one of the most delicate, the most easy to kill, and yet the most terribly savage of all microbes.
He yawned and slowly rolled over onto his back, sniffing and wiping his mustache.
I was able to be less cautious with my sniffing and we covered the next half mile in twenty minutes.
Starting by the emergency exit, I walked slowly down the sidewalk, pretending to study the sheet of paper and allowing for generous sniffing pauses in front of each door.
When he lingered too long sniffing near my tail, Clay growled a warning and he backed off.
He knocked me in the ribs with his muzzle and made a show of sniffing the air.
Once again he saw a glass and knew without sniffing what it would contain.
Minerva asked, trying to keep her pug dog from sniffing at my pug dog, who was growling menacingly.
But before he could answer, he was startled by my new dog sniffing at his boots.
He wandered off, sniffing aimlessly at the tumbled heaps of books, then pounced without warning, scraping and scratting with his forepaws until he found the volume he wanted.
He stays behind the hedges and slinks to the kitchen window, sniffing for gas.
He lifted his head, sniffing at them in instinct, then settled, realizing what he was doing, filled with a sudden, intense sense of self-disgust.
Drizzt had struck it, caught a familiar scent then and started sniffing excitedly and darting back and forth along the paths of the grove.