come up smelling of roses

A form of smell like a rose — To be regarded as appealing, virtuous, or respectable; to be untainted or unharmed.

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Meanings

verbcome up smelling of roses (third-person singular simple present comes up smelling of roses, present participle coming up smelling of roses, simple past came up smelling of roses, past participle come up smelling of roses)

present singular third person comes up smelling of roses · participle present coming up smelling of roses · past came up smelling of roses

  1. alternativeAlternative form of smell like a rose.
Cite this entry
APA

come up smelling of roses. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20up%20smelling%20of%20roses

MLA

“come up smelling of roses.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20up%20smelling%20of%20roses. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “come up smelling of roses,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20up%20smelling%20of%20roses.

Source: come up smelling of roses on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.