acoustic perfume

noun

variants or acoustical perfume

: the effect created when a constant pleasant or inoffensive background sound (such as music, white noise, or the sound of a fountain) is used to drown out unpleasant or distracting noises (as in an office or a public place)

also : the sound itself

Early visitors waxed enthusiastic about the relief it provided from the din of the streets, and the "acoustic perfume" of the park's waterfall.

—George Prochnik, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2009

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

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