Meanings
present singular third person wakes up and smells the ashes · participle present waking up and smelling the ashes · past woke up and smelled the ashes · past woke up and smelt the ashes · participle past woken up and smelled the ashes · participle past woken up and smelt the ashes
- rareSynonym of wake up and smell the coffee.
The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So, wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes.
2005, David S. J. Hodgson, Half-Life 2: Prima Official Game Guide, page 21 more example
It's time to wake up and smell the ashes. It is time to start constructing a new vision of ministry for all Christians, lay and ordained.
1995, The Living Church - Volume 210, page 19Synonyms: wake up and smell the coffee
Synonyms & antonyms
verbSynonym of wake up and smell the coffee.
Cite this entry
wake up and smell the ashes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wake%20up%20and%20smell%20the%20ashes
“wake up and smell the ashes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wake%20up%20and%20smell%20the%20ashes. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wake up and smell the ashes,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wake%20up%20and%20smell%20the%20ashes.
Source: wake up and smell the ashes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.