What's the correct usage of the word 'smell' in past tense
smelt or smelled

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!

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?

something of a colloquialism

Well, the dictionaries don't indicate it as colloquial. I'm just reporting what I saw.

I believe you, Bean! I'm just reporting how I think of it!

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.

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

and kneeled/knelt.

Think I would say:

He smelt of sweat.

I smelled home cooking as I came through the front door.

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.

Any relation between olfaction and the smelting of metal ores?

Any relation between smelts and fish on bikes?

Smelt(ed) mullet... is it a fragrant hairdo or a well-cooked fish?

Alex, I wonder how many folks outside of us good ol' boys are gonna know what a mullet hairdo is??

how many folks outside of us good ol' boys

Annas: 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!

Bean, live and learn! Does this make y'all good ol' boys, or do I need to broaden my horizons?

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"?)

...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:

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Alex, I wonder how many folks outside of us good ol' boys are gonna know what a mullet hairdo is??

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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.

Smelt(ed) mullet... is it a fragrant hairdo or a well-cooked fish?



And what about smullet?

"He who smullet dunnit"