smell [ME] No one is sure where smell comes from—there is no related word in other languages. The Old English terms were stincan and stenċ, source of *stink and stench. To come up smelling of roses [M20th] is to make a lucky escape from a difficult or unpleasant situation with your reputation intact. Dating from the 1930s and American in origin, is stop and smell the roses, or take time to fully appreciate life’s pleasures. If someone tells you to wake up and smell the coffee they are urging you to be less relaxed, and to become more realistic or alert. The phrase was popularized by the US advice columnist Ann Landers from the mid 1950s.