(~s)
1.
If there is a ~ of a particular smell, you smell it only slightly or only for a brief period of time, for example as you walk past someone or something.
He caught a ~ of her perfume.
N-COUNT: usu sing, usu N of n
2.
A ~ of something bad or harmful is a slight sign of it.
Not a ~ of scandal has ever tainted his private life...
N-COUNT: usu sing, usu N of n