Sniff Test Meaning

(idiomatic) An informal reality check of an idea or proposal, using one's common sense or sense of propriety.

Example: 1993, Terry Collison, "How to ‘Sniff-Test’ a Venture," www.bluerockcapital.com (retrieved 8 Feb 2009):
  [S]niff-test issues... try to answer the basic question "Does this venture appear to make sense?"