#82804
10/04/2002 10:53 AM
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1 |
What's the correct usage of the word 'smell' in past tense
smelt or smelled
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#82805
10/04/2002 10:58 AM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
I would personally say "smelled". However, there are plenty of words where both the -t and -ed endings are acceptable and the usage depends on where you are from (or where you learned English). Online dictionaries indicate both forms. So take your pick! 
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#82806
10/04/2002 11:50 AM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771 |
See, I think of the usage of smelt as past tense for smell to be something of a colloquialism. Considering that smelt is already a noun and an infinitive in its own right, why confuse things?
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#82807
10/04/2002 12:00 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
something of a colloquialismWell, the dictionaries don't indicate it as colloquial. I'm just reporting what I saw.
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#82808
10/04/2002 12:42 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771 |
I believe you, Bean! I'm just reporting how I think of it! 
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#82809
10/04/2002 2:23 PM
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 320
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 320 |
I believe it's a UK/US thing. The -ed form tends to be American, while -t is British. This applies to other words: spell/spelled/spelt and learn/learned/learnt come to mind.
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#82810
10/04/2002 2:42 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
I'm just reporting how I think of it! I suppose (retrospectively) the smiley should have been a hint that it was just opinion and not judg(e)ment. Point taken, and back atcha
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#82811
10/04/2002 2:43 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
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#82812
10/04/2002 4:20 PM
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
Think I would say:
He smelt of sweat.
I smelled home cooking as I came through the front door.
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#82813
10/07/2002 1:13 PM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346 |
I'd agree with it being generally a transpondial thing, Britlish speakers tending toward the "-t" endings.
"He smelt a rat"
but somehow: "She smelled of mothballs"
I suspect there aren't any hard rules here - it's more or less about habit and how nice the word sounds.
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#82814
10/07/2002 1:24 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819 |
Any relation between olfaction and the smelting of metal ores?
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#82815
10/07/2002 2:49 PM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
Any relation between smelts and fish on bikes?
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#82816
10/07/2002 3:14 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819 |
Smelt(ed) mullet... is it a fragrant hairdo or a well-cooked fish?
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#82817
10/07/2002 3:23 PM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
Alex, I wonder how many folks outside of us good ol' boys are gonna know what a mullet hairdo is??
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#82818
10/07/2002 3:33 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
how many folks outside of us good ol' boysAnnas: Define "us good ol' boys". The mullet is the standard haircut of the NHL player. So at least the Canadians aBoard should be able to recognize/describe a mullet! 
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#82819
10/07/2002 3:43 PM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
Bean, live and learn! Does this make y'all good ol' boys, or do I need to broaden my horizons?
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#82820
10/07/2002 4:38 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
Hmm, I guess we're good ol' boys then. (I was just wondering what else that entailed, before I agreed to it...or did you just mean it as in "Board members"?)
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#82821
10/07/2002 4:42 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819 |
...or is a smelted mullet a cross-bred fish, a chimeric creature that spends part of its life in the water, part on ice (playing hockey in the NHL), and part behind the wheel of a Camaro? In reply to:
Alex, I wonder how many folks outside of us good ol' boys are gonna know what a mullet hairdo is??
May I recommend http://www.mulletsgalore.com to all the coldnecks out there, and especially the hilarious classification section. It may be a little on the blue side (but not terribly so), so the more delicate members of our community should be forewarned.
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#82822
10/08/2002 8:44 AM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346 |
Smelt(ed) mullet... is it a fragrant hairdo or a well-cooked fish?And what about smullet? "He who smullet dunnit"
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