smear

smear
   1. to bribe
   Literally, to spread:
    A little smearing of the right palm... (Longstreet, 1956 — not implying that the left palm would not have done equally well)
   The American spelling schmear comes from the German schmieren via Yiddish to mean the same thing as a verb or a noun:
    I get the feeling that a schmear changed hands somewhere along the way. (Sanders, 1977)
   2. a test for cervical cancer
   The usage avoids any reference to the dread disease or the place from which the sample is taken:
    Course I did ask once when I went to the family planning for a smear. Well, you wonder if all is well. (Lockhead, 1985)
   3. to attempt to bring into disrepute
   Spreading what the subject prefers to keep hidden. The tabloid press often regales its readership with smear campaigns against persons known to the public, and politicians who adopt the same tactics also know that mud sticks:
    The opposition has twice tried to smear me. (Crisp, 1982)

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Smear — (senkrechter, weißer Strich unter der Lichtquelle) Als Smear oder auch Smear Effekt bezeichnet man bei digitalen Kameras weiße Streifen im Bild, die bei besonders hellen Lichtquellen im Bildbereich auftreten. Wenn die Lichtquelle eine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • smear — [smɪə ǁ smɪr] noun [countable] an attempt to harm someone by spreading untrue stories about them: • Was this just another political smear? • The media had launched a smear campaign against him. smear verb [transitive] : • Republicans were trying… …   Financial and business terms

  • smear´er — smear «smihr», verb, noun, adjective. –v.t. 1. to cover or stain with anything sticky, grease or dirty: »She smeared her fingers with jam. 2. to rub or spread (oil, grease, or paint): »to smear paint on one s hands. 3. to rub or wipe (a brush,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • smear|y — «SMIHR ee», adjective, smear|i|er, smear|i|est. 1. marked by a smear or smears; smeared. 2. tending to smear. –smear´i|ness …   Useful english dictionary

  • Smear — (sm[=e]r), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Smeared} (sm[=e]rd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Smearing}.] [OE. smeren, smerien, AS. smierwan, smyrwan, fr. smeoru fat, grease; akin to D. smeren, OHG. smirwen, G. schmieren, Icel. smyrja to anoint. See {Smear}, n.] 1. To… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • smear — [smir] vt. [ME smerien < OE smerian, to anoint, akin to Ger schmieren < IE base * smeru , grease > OIr smir, marrow & (prob.) L medulla, marrow] 1. to cover, daub, or soil with something greasy, sticky, or dirty 2. to apply or daub… …   English World dictionary

  • Smear — Smear, n. [OE. smere,. smeoru fat, grease; akin to D. smeer, G. schmeer, OHG. smero, Icel. smj[ o]r, Sw. & Dan. sm[ o]r butter, Goth. sma[ i]r[thorn]r fatness, smarna dung; cf. Lith. smarsas fat. Cf. {Smirch}.] 1. A fat, oily substance; oinment.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • smear — sb., en, smear, ene (undersøgelse af celler fra fx livmoderhalsen), i sms. smear , fx smearprøve …   Dansk ordbog

  • smear — (v.) O.E. smerian to anoint or rub with grease, oil, etc., from P.Gmc. *smerthan (Cf. O.N. smyrva, Dan. smère, Swed. smörja, Du. smeren, O.H.G. smirwen, Ger. schmieren to smear ), from PIE *smeru grease (Cf. Gk. myron …   Etymology dictionary

  • smear — [v1] rub on, spread over apply, bedaub, besmirch, blur, coat, cover, dab, daub, defile, dirty, discolor, overlay, overspread, patch, plaster, slop, smudge, soil, spatter, spray, sprinkle, stain, sully, taint, tar, tarnish; concepts 172,202,215… …   New thesaurus

  • smear — smear. См. мазок. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

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