English
Etymology
By metaphorical extension from the actual test one might perform (with one's nose) on a piece of fish or meat of unknown quality, or some milk of unknown age, or some leftovers in the refrigerator of unknown status.
Noun
sniff test
- colloquial A basic "reality check" of a new idea or venture, consisting of very basic questions about whether the idea makes sense or has any chance of being feasible. Typically, however, an essential aspect of such a test is that it be performed by someone other than the person who had the idea or devised the venture in question, since that person is usually too close to the idea to evaluate it objectively.
Synonyms
reality check
Quotations
��[S]niff-test� issues... try to answer the basic question �Does this venture appear to make sense?�� [Terry Collison, �How to �Sniff-Test� a Venture�, http://www.bluerockcapital.com/docs/Sniff_Testing_Your_Venture.html]
See also
smoke test
|
