sniff at

The Incorrigible children slid more gracefully off their mounts and began to sniff at the air, while the three smaller wolves ran in tight circles, whimpering and skimming their muzzles along the ground.

What he lacked was a modicum of a chance, a sniff at goal.

But Parris came off after an hour, having struggled to implement England's press and having barely had a sniff at goal.

The mere depiction of men lusting after other men, let alone as something to be celebrated, wasn’t anything to sniff at.

So in the interest of self-improvement, I open my pack of what look like markers and sniff at them one by one.