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general::
Phrase(s): smell blood
Fig. to be ready for a fight; to be ready to attack; to be ready to act. (Like sharks, which are sent into a frenzy by the smell of blood.) • Lefty was surrounded, and you could tell that the guys from the other gang smelled blood. • The lawyer heard the crash and came running— smelling blood and bucks.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs