stink of "a" horse

[Mnemon]

You stink of horse!

The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers (2002) movie

Does it work for you if I add the indefinite article before "horse"?

You stink of a horse!

Thanks.

 

[5jj]

No.

Without the indefinite article, the utterance means "You have about you an equine stink"


It is unlikely that someone would have about them the smell of an individual horse.

 

[Phaedrus]

Sometimes, interestingly, the definite article is used in "stink of" expressions. Mnemon's question reminded me of one of Anthony Hopkins's lines in Silence of the Lambs (1991), during his first meeting as Hannibal Lecter with Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster):

"And that accent you've tried so desperately to shed? Pure West Virginia. What's your father, dear? Is he a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamp? You know how quickly the boys found you, all those tedious sticky fumblings in the back seats of cars, while you could only dream of getting out, getting anywhere, getting all the way to the F.B.I." (video clip).

 

[Tdol]

You stink of a horse!

Which one? :up:

 

[Mnemon]

Sometimes, interestingly, the definite article is used in "stink of" expressions. Mnemon's question reminded me of one of Anthony Hopkins's lines in Silence of the Lambs (1991), during his first meeting as Hannibal Lecter with Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster):

Thanks. The quoted part rings some bells for me, though it's a long time since I watched the movie.
Is it correct to say (without the article)?
Does he stink of lamp?

 

[Mnemon]

Which one? :up:

Thanks for your contribution.

If I knew, I would have probably employed the definite article.

- You stink of the horse.

 

[probus]

Does he stink of lamp is fine, just as the example with horse was. No article. Adding the definite article just makes me ask myself "Which horse?" That is what 5jj and Tdol were telling you.