"Samuel Johnson paused to rest on a London park bench one hot summer's day, his profusely sweating bulk caused a young woman sitting next to him to accuse him of smelling. ''No, Madam,'' he replied. ''You smell, I stink.'' Dr. Johnson was taking delight at pointing out the grammatical ambiguity of a verb both transitive and intransitive, but his observation is underpinned by our curious relationship with our sense of smell. When we want to indicate understanding, or clarity of mind, we invoke the visual sense: ''I see.'' ''That is quite clear.'' Suspicion and intrigue, however, lead us to olfactory imagery. If something is not quite right we exclaim, ''I smell a rat.'' ''This whole rotten business smells.'' ''The perpetrator is a stinker!'' What does this tell us about the sense that never rests as long as we breathe?"
Sorry :)
From: www.samueljohnson.com
The Samuel Johnson Sound Bite Page
"The most comprehensive collection of Samuel Johnson quotations on the web. Over 1,800 quotes from Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), one of the most quoted men of the 18th century."
"You smell me, and I stink."
"This anecdote centers on usage of the verb 'smell,' and Johnson's cleanliness. I've seen it set in a number of locations ...
"The anecdote basically goes like this: somebody says to Johnson, "Dr. Johnson, you smell!" Johnson usually replies something like, "Incorrect, Madam/Sir, you smell me, and I stink!"
"This is generally accepted as an apocryphal anecdote."