I've interpreted that as 1) the sweat being clean (and thus odorless) and the presumably pleasant smell of the person underneath coming through from under it; or 2) "sweat" being used to describe the humidity and maybe droplets on the skin left after a shower, not actual sweat, although that might have been too generous.
I am simply not enough of a connoisseur of perspiration
I shudder to think how one could acquire this skill. Does it have to be learned through repeatedly smelling sweat until alchemy happens?
Hm, maybe 1 is it... though if it is, I must say that it's a very odd way of describing an odor that actually has nothing at all to do with the scent commonly known as "sweat". And while I would welcome "clean sweat" in the meaning of 2, the context has always been rather shower- and humidity-less, disallowing this interpretation.
I shudder to think how one could acquire this skill. Does it have to be learned through repeatedly smelling sweat until alchemy happens?
*g* If it does, that certainly explains why I have yet to acquire this particular skill.
If feeling charitable, I interpret "clean sweat" as fresh sweat (which is much less objectionable than sweat that's sat for a bit) on someone clean (as sweat carries whatever odors are already there). If I'm not feeling charitable, I take it as hand waving for "a manly man, but not, you know gross or anything."
However, anyone who smells of soap has not rinsed off properly, and should go back in the shower and come out when they're actually clean.
hand waving for "a manly man, but not, you know gross or anything."
I think this is probably it. :-)
However, anyone who smells of soap has not rinsed off properly
LOL! Good point. :-) The soap scent frequently seems to crop up in the vicinity of the clean sweat, probably emphasizing that the sweat is not, you know, unclean or anything.
I've always interpreted the soap scent as indicating that the person in question uses a strongly scented soap. They do leave behind an odor, even when rinsed off properly, but they also clash with cologne, so if someone is going to wear any other scent, it's an unwise choice indeed.
I've come across people talking about someone smelling like sweat (which isn't particularly appealing in my mind), but at least they don't try to claim that it's clean. Considering that sweating is one way your body gets rid of toxins, that's pretty much an oxymoron.
Personally, I find it entirely impossible to associate any sweat scent with sexiness. But hey, different strokes (no pun intended)...
I have no problem with the idea of clean sweat as such, given that perspiration is mostly water with sodium and some other innocuous minerals. But that kind of sweat has no odor, and as soon as it does start smelling, it's not clean anymore.
My boyfriend's sweat doesn't actually stink. I asked him about it, and how strange it is, and he said it was always like that. You can hardly smell anything at all. Maybe they mean something like that...but I'm not sure. I suppose it might be just something someone started, and other people have copied because they thought it has to exist, even if they have never come across it themselves.
The degree to which people smell when they sweat is very different - it actually depends on the bacteria they carry around, because they're the ones who ultimately cause the "sweat" scent. *g*
I suppose it might be just something someone started, and other people have copied because they thought it has to exist
I suspect you are right. :-) And perhaps it's shorthand for something like "this guy is a Real Manly Man, but he's not gross or anything".
This made me laugh...a lot. I think I probably get what people are going for with clean sweat. Like you said, they're probably trying to get at the person is athletic, but doesn't stink. But yeah, clean sweat is weird.
:-) Yes, I suspect these writers are using a rather unfortunate descriptive shortcut. I wish they'd use some other image, though - maybe something like "the passive heat of well-honed muscles"... just as non-sensical, but way less smelly. ;-)
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I am simply not enough of a connoisseur of perspiration
I shudder to think how one could acquire this skill. Does it have to be learned through repeatedly smelling sweat until alchemy happens?
Reply
I shudder to think how one could acquire this skill. Does it have to be learned through repeatedly smelling sweat until alchemy happens?
*g* If it does, that certainly explains why I have yet to acquire this particular skill.
Reply
However, anyone who smells of soap has not rinsed off properly, and should go back in the shower and come out when they're actually clean.
Reply
I think this is probably it. :-)
However, anyone who smells of soap has not rinsed off properly
LOL! Good point. :-) The soap scent frequently seems to crop up in the vicinity of the clean sweat, probably emphasizing that the sweat is not, you know, unclean or anything.
I've always interpreted the soap scent as indicating that the person in question uses a strongly scented soap. They do leave behind an odor, even when rinsed off properly, but they also clash with cologne, so if someone is going to wear any other scent, it's an unwise choice indeed.
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I have no problem with the idea of clean sweat as such, given that perspiration is mostly water with sodium and some other innocuous minerals. But that kind of sweat has no odor, and as soon as it does start smelling, it's not clean anymore.
I don't know, I just don't get it...
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Maybe they mean something like that...but I'm not sure. I suppose it might be just something someone started, and other people have copied because they thought it has to exist, even if they have never come across it themselves.
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I suppose it might be just something someone started, and other people have copied because they thought it has to exist
I suspect you are right. :-) And perhaps it's shorthand for something like "this guy is a Real Manly Man, but he's not gross or anything".
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Stacey
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