💩 To Stink to High Heaven: The Art of Overstating the Obvious 👃
“A fresh breeze will blow away, but a stench lingers on." This aptly describes our first cliché: “To stink to high heaven,” indicating something variously awful or utterly contemptible.
Definitions and Meanings
To stink (to high heaven): To be extremely unpleasant, dishonest, or corrupt. The term ‘heaven’ represents an unreachable point far above, implying the stench is so potent it resonates even there.
Synonyms:
- To reek
- To smell atrocious
- To be rank
- To be corrupt
- To be objectionable
Antonyms:
- To smell good
- To be pristine
- To be honest
- To be reputable
Humor-Filled Quotes:
- “Some ideas ‘stink to high heaven,’ and others need deodorant.”
- “My cooking: so glamorous, it brings heaven down…in the form of complaints!”
Proverbs and Expressions:
- “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” - From Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
- “This deal stinks.”
- “It smells fishy.”
Related Phrases and Idioms:
- “Fishy business” - when something is suspicious
- “Snake in the grass” - a deceitful person
- “Rotten to the core” - thoroughly bad
Literary Recommendations:
Books:
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare (where it all began!)
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (For watching absurd corruption play out)
Movies:
- Hamlet (numerous adaptations to pick from!)
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer directed by Tom Tykwer
- Glengarry Glen Ross - for shady business dealings
Songs:
- “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
- “This Smell” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
- “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett
Poetry:
- The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot - Featuring metaphorical decay
- Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold
### Which of the following indicates something is contemptibly bad or corrupt?
- [x] It stinks to high heaven
- [ ] It's sassy with sassafras
- [ ] It glows in purple rain
- [ ] It's marching with the sunshine army
> **Explanation:** "It stinks to high heaven" signifies something thoroughly contemptible or corrupt, reaching extreme levels of disrepute.
### Identify the odd one out:
- [ ] It smells fishy
- [ ] Snake in the grass
- [x] Dancing with butterflies
- [ ] Rotten to the core
> **Explanation:** "Dancing with butterflies" has no negative connotation, while the others suggest suspicion, deceit, or deep-seated corruption.
### True or False: 'Something is rotten in the state of Denmark' means there's a foul play observed.
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** This line from Shakespeare’s *Hamlet* mirrors the idea that things are awry or corrupt, making it another way of saying the situation 'stinks to high heaven'.
May your linguistic journeys never ‘stink to high heaven,’ but rather perfume the world with wit and wisdom.
— W. T. Wittywords, 2023
