English

Alternative forms

• come out smelling like a rose, come out smelling of roses, come up smelling like a rose, come up smelling of roses

Verb

smell like a rose

1. (idiomatic, colloquial, simile) To be regarded as appealing, virtuous, or respectable; to be untainted or unharmed.
   • 1953, "Prison is quiet after hearing," Spokesman-Review, (Spokane, USA), 22 Nov., p. 22 (retrieved 4 Aug. 2009):

     "I don't suppose anyone from the director down will come out of this deal smelling like a rose," the warden commented, "but our only hope is that some good will result from the hearing."

   • 1990, Marilyn Cannaday, Bigger than Life: The Creator of Doc Savage, ISBN 9780879724719, p. 28:

     But compared to others, Dent came out of the Depression "smelling like a rose." He later boasted that he made $18,000 a year with his writing during the Depression.

   • 2002, Christopher Palmeri, "Can CalPERS Afford to Throw Stones?," BusinessWeek, 24 June (retrieved 4 Aug. 2009):

     The champion of corporate governance should smell like a rose. Instead, there's an unpleasant whiff of pork-barrel politics rising from the board.

Usage notes

• This expression often uses the verb smell in its present participial form (smelling).

See also

• come up roses