up to snuff

verb (used with object)

1. to draw in through the nose by inhaling.
2. to perceive by or as by smelling; sniff.
3. to examine by smelling, as an animal does.

verb (used without object)

4. to draw air into the nostrils by inhaling, as to smell something; snuffle: After snuffing around, he found the gas leak.
5. to draw powdered tobacco into the nostrils; take snuff.
6. Obsolete. to express disdain, contempt, displeasure, etc., by sniffing (often followed by at).

noun

7. an act of snuffing; an inhalation through the nose; a sniff.
8. smell, scent, or odor.
9. a preparation of tobacco, either powdered and taken into the nostrils by inhalation or ground and placed between the cheek and gum.
10. a pinch of such tobacco.

Idioms

11. up to snuff, Informal.
    1. British.not easily imposed upon; shrewd; sharp.
    2. up to a certain standard; satisfactory: His performance wasn’t up to snuff.

verb

1. (tr) to inhale through the nose
2. (when intr, often foll by at) (esp of an animal) to examine by sniffing

noun

3. an act or the sound of snuffing

noun

1. finely powdered tobacco for sniffing up the nostrils or less commonly for chewing
2. a small amount of this
3. any powdered substance, esp one for sniffing up the nostrils
4. up to snuff informal
   1. in good health or in good condition
   2. mainly Britishnot easily deceived

verb

5. (intr) to use or inhale snuff

verb (tr)

1. (often foll by out) to extinguish (a light from a naked flame, esp a candle)
2. to cut off the charred part of (the wick of a candle, etc)
3. (usually foll by out) informal to suppress; put an end to
4. snuff it British informal to die

noun

5. the burned portion of the wick of a candle

v.1“to cut or pinch off the burned part of a candle wick,” mid-15c., from noun snoffe “burned part of a candle wick” (late 14c.), of unknown origin, perhaps related to snuff (v.2). The meaning “to die” is from 1865; that of “to kill” is from 1932; snuff-film, originally an urban legend, is from 1975. v.2“draw in through the nose,” 1520s, from Dutch or Flemish snuffen “to sniff, snuff,” related to Dutch snuiven “to sniff,” from Proto-Germanic *snuf- (cf. Middle High German snupfe, German Schnupfen “head-cold”), imitative of the sound of drawing air through the nose (see snout). Related: Snuffed; snuffing. n.“powdered tobacco to be inhaled,” 1680s, from Dutch or Flemish snuf, shortened form of snuftabak “snuff tobacco,” from snuffen “to sniff, snuff” (see snuff (v.2)). The practice became fashionable in England c.1680. Slang phrase up to snuff “knowing, sharp, wide-awake, not likely to be deceived” is from 1811; the exact sense is obscure unless it refers to the “elevating” properties of snuff. v.

1. To inhale something audibly through the nose; sniff.

n.

1. A preparation of finely pulverized tobacco that can be drawn up into the nostrils by inhaling.
2. A medicated powder inhaled through or blown into the nose.

In addition to the idiom beginning with snuff

snuff out

also see:

up to par (snuff)