chain smoker

Idioms  

1. One who smokes continually by lighting a new cigarette from the one being finished, as in Before they forbade smoking, bridge tournaments often attracted players who are chain smokers. [c. 1930]

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Example Sentences

The books, he said, described his brother as a chain smoker, someone who honed his skills in Cairo and reported from Vietnam — none of which is true.

From New York Times • Feb. 18, 2024

“For China to quit coal is like for a chain smoker to quit cigarettes,” said Li Shuo, senior adviser at Greenpeace East Asia.

From Washington Post • Nov. 15, 2021

I remember the old chairman was a great chain smoker and I would say: 'Can you give me a list of players you've got?'.

From The Guardian • May 17, 2013

But the brown tinge on the walls - the sculptor was a chain smoker - he is intent on preserving.

From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2012

Other countries, he says, "have a hard time taking instructions from a chain smoker to quit smoking and to help us keep others from starting to smoke."

From Time Magazine Archive