bells and smells

noun

A style of religious worship emphasising high ritual, including use of vestments, bells and incense, especially in high church Anglicanism and Catholicism.

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Meanings

nounbells and smells pl (plural only)
  1. informalpluralplural onlyA style of religious worship emphasising high ritual, including use of vestments, bells and incense, especially in high church Anglicanism and Catholicism.

    We were a liberal Catholic bells-and-smells congregation with a strong but small worshipping core, plus frequent visitors, because of our geographical location and a professional choir in a beautiful Butterfield church.

    2017 June 2, Mike Lawlor, “Letters to the Editor”, in Church Times
Cite this entry
APA

bells and smells. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bells%20and%20smells

MLA

“bells and smells.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bells%20and%20smells. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bells and smells,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bells%20and%20smells.

Source: bells and smells on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.