wake up and smell the coffee/roses

phrase

US, informal

: to realize the truth about one's situation : to become aware of what is really happening

These problems are not going to fix themselves. Voters need to wake up and smell the coffee and elect someone who will get things done.

Examples of wake up and smell the coffee/roses in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

American Airlines customers will soon have a new reason to wake up and smell the coffee. — Zach Wichter, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025

All that’s left is for San Diegans to wake up and smell the coffee on the way in and divine the music inside. — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024

So, wake up and smell the coffee, and clean that coffee maker today! — USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024

Get it right before Mars issues a strident call to wake up and smell the coffee. — SFChronicle.com, 11 Aug. 2020