Whiffing

whiff  (hwf, wf)

n.

1. A slight, gentle gust of air; a waft: a whiff of cool air.

2.

a. A brief, passing odor carried in the air: a whiff of perfume.

b. A minute trace: "Humanity is unregenerable and hates the language of conformity, since conformity has a whiff of the inhuman about it" (Anthony Burgess).

3. An inhalation, as of air or smoke: Take a whiff of this pipe.

4. Baseball A strikeout.

v. whiffed, whiff·ing, whiffs

v.intr.

1. To be carried in brief gusts; waft: puffs of smoke whiffing from the chimney.

2. Sports To swing at and miss a ball or puck.

3. Baseball To strike out. Used of a batter.

v.tr.

1. To blow or convey in whiffs.

2. To inhale through the nose; sniff: a dog whiffing the air.

3. Baseball To strike out (a batter).

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[Perhaps alteration of Middle English weffe, offensive smell.]

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whiffer n.