whiff1

noun

• 1a smell that is only smelled briefly or faintly:I caught a whiff of peachy perfume
• [in singular] an act of sniffing or inhaling, typically so as to determine or savor a scent:one whiff of clothing and Fido was off
• [in singular] a trace or hint of something bad, menacing, or exciting:here was a man with a whiff of danger about him

• 2a puff or breath of air or smoke.

• 3North American informal (chiefly in baseball or golf) an unsuccessful attempt to hit the ball.

verb

• 1 [with object] get a brief or faint smell of:he screwed up his nose as if he’d whiffed Limburger

• 2 [no object] North American informal (chiefly in baseball or golf) try unsuccessfully to hit the ball.