13c., weffe "foul scent or odor," of imitative origin. Modern form became popular late 16c. with tobacco smoking, probably influenced by whiffle "blow in gusts or puffs" (1560s). The verb in the baseball slang sense "to swing at a ball and miss" first recorded 1913.
权威例句
1. Not a whiff of scandal has ever tainted his private life.
他的私生活没有爆出过一丁点儿的丑闻。
2. The TV show had the whiff of hypocrisy and pomposity.
这个电视节目有些伪善和夸耀的嫌疑。
3. He caught a whiff of her perfume.
他闻到了她身上的一股香水味。
4. a whiff of cigar smoke
一股雪茄烟味
5. Now and again , he caught a whiff of a peculiar smell.