smudge

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

smudge, n. [Cf. Dan. smuds smut, E. smutch, or smoke.].

•  A suffocating smoke.  Grose.  [1913 Webster]
•  A heap of damp combustibles partially ignited and burning slowly, placed on the windward side of a house, tent, or the like, in order, by the thick smoke, to keep off mosquitoes or other insects.  Bartlett.  [1913 Webster]
•  That which is smeared upon anything; a stain; a blot; a smutch; a smear.  [1913 Webster]

smudge, v. t. 

•  To stifle or smother with smoke; to smoke by means of a smudge.  [1913 Webster]
•  To smear; to smutch; to soil; to blacken with smoke.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

smudge, n. & v.
--n.
1 a blurred or smeared line or mark; a blot; a smear of dirt.
2 a stain or blot on a person's character etc.
--v.
1 tr. make a smudge on.
2 intr. become smeared or blurred (smudges easily).
3 tr. smear or blur the lines of (writing, drawing, etc.) (smudge the outline).
4 tr. defile, sully, stain, or disgrace (a person's name, character, etc.).

Derivative

smudgeless adj.

smudge, n. US an outdoor fire with dense smoke made to keep off insects, protect plants against frost, etc.

Idiom

smudge-pot a container holding burning material that produces a smudge.

Etymology

smudge (v.) cure (herring) by smoking (16th c.: orig. unkn.)

THESAURUS

smudge

afterdamp, ash, ashes, aspersion, attaint, badge of infamy, bar sinister, baton, bedarken, bedaub, begrime, bend sinister, besmear, besmirch, besmutch, besoil, black, black eye, black mark, blackdamp, blacken, blackening, blackwash, bloodstain, blot, blotch, blur, brand, breath, broad arrow, calx, carbon, censure, champain, charcoal, chokedamp, cinder, clinker, cloud, coal, coke, coom, cork, dab, damp, darken, darkening, daub, defile, denigrate, denigration, dinge, dirty, disparagement, dross, ebonize, effluvium, exhalation, eyesore, fetid air, firedamp, flatus, fleck, flick, fluid, flyspeck, foul, fume, grime, imputation, ink, lava, macula, maculation, macule, malaria, mark, mark of Cain, melanization, melanize, mephitis, miasma, murk, nigrification, nigrify, onus, oversmoke, patch, pillorying, plaster, point champain, puff of smoke, reek, reflection, reprimand, reproach, scoria, shade, shading, shadow, slag, slubber, slur, smarm, smear, smirch, smirching, smoke, smooch, smouch, smudging, smut, smutch, smutching, soil, soilage, soilure, soot, spatter, speck, speckle, splash, splatter, splotch, spot, stain, steam, stigma, stigmatism, stigmatization, sullage, sully, taint, tarnish, vapor, volatile, water vapor

ROGET THESAURUS

smudge

Uncleanness

N uncleanness, impurity, immundity, immundicity, impurity, defilement, contamination, defoedation, soilure, soiliness, abomination, leaven, taint, tainture, fetor, decay, putrescence, putrefaction, corruption, mold, must, mildew, dry rot, mucor, rubigo, slovenry, slovenliness, squalor, dowdy, drab, slut, malkin, slattern, sloven, slammerkin, slammock, slummock, scrub, draggle-tail, mudlark, dust-man, sweep, beast, dirt, filth, soil, slop, dust, cobweb, flue, smoke, soot, smudge, smut, grit, grime, raff, sossle, sozzle, sordes, dregs, grounds, lees, argol, sediment, settlement heeltap, dross, drossiness, mother, precipitate, scoriae, ashes, cinders, recrement, slag, scum, froth, hogwash, ditchwater, dishwater, bilgewater, rinsings, cheeseparings, sweepings, offscourings, outscourings, off scum, caput mortuum, residuum, sprue, fecula, clinker, draff, scurf, scurfiness, exuviae, morphea, fur, furfur, dandruff, tartar, riffraff, vermin, louse, flea, bug, chinch, mud, mire, quagmire, alluvium, silt, sludge, slime, slush, slosh, sposh, spawn, offal, gurry, lientery, garbage, carrion, excreta, slough, peccant humor, pus, matter, suppuration, lienteria, faeces, feces, excrement, ordure, dung, crap, shit, sewage, sewerage, muck, coprolite, guano, manure, compost, dunghill, colluvies, mixen, midden, bog, laystall, sink, privy, jakes, toilet, john, head, cess, cesspool, sump, sough, cloaca, latrines, drain, sewer, common sewer, Cloacina, dust hole, sty, pigsty, lair, den, Augean stable, sink of corruption, slum, rookery, dirty, filthy, grimy, unclean, impure, soiled, not to be handled with kid gloves, dusty, snuffy, smutty, sooty, smoky, thick, turbid, dreggy, slimy, mussy, slovenly, untidy, messy, uncleanly, unkempt, sluttish, dowdy, draggle-tailed, uncombed, unscoured, unswept, unwiped, unwashed, unstrained, unpurified, squalid, lutose, slammocky, slummocky, sozzly, nasty, coarse, foul, offensive, abominable, beastly, reeky, reechy, fetid, decayed, moldy, musty, mildewed, rusty, moth-eaten, mucid, rancid, weak, bad, gone bad, etercoral, lentiginous, touched, fusty, effete, reasty, rotten, corrupt, tainted, high, flyblown, maggoty, putrid, putrefactive, putrescent, putrefied, saprogenic, saprogenous, purulent, carious, peccant, fecal, feculent, stercoraceous, excrementitious, scurfy, scurvy, impetiginous, gory, bloody, rotting, rotten as a pear, rotten as cheese, crapulous, gross, fimetarious, fimicolous, they that touch pitch will be defiled.

VB be unclean, become unclean, rot, putrefy, ferment, fester, rankle, reek, stink, mold, molder, go bad, render unclean, dirt, dirty, daub, blot, blur, smudge, smutch, soil, smoke, tarnish, slaver, spot, smear, smirch, begrease, dabble, drabble, draggle, daggle, spatter, slubber, besmear, bemire, beslime, begrime, befoul, splash, stain, distain, maculate, sully, pollute, defile, debase, contaminate, taint, leaven, corrupt, cover with dust, drabble in the mud, roil, wallow in the mire, slobber, slabber.

Blemish

N blemish, disfigurement, deformity, adactylism, flaw, defect, injury, spots on the sun, eyesore, stain, blot, spot, spottiness, speck, speckle, blur, tarnish, smudge, dirt, freckle, mole, macula, patch, blotch, birthmark, blobber lip, blubber lip, blain, maculation, scar, wem, pustule, whelk, excrescence, pimple, pitted, freckled, discolored, imperfect, blobber-lipped, bloodshot, injured.

Fuel

N fuel, firing, combustible, coal, wallsend, anthracite, culm, coke, carbon, charcoal, bituminous coal, tar shale, turf, peat, firewood, bobbing, faggot, log, cinder, ingle, tinder, touchwood, sulphur, brimstone, incense, port-fire, fire-barrel, fireball, brand, amadou, bavin, blind coal, glance coal, German tinder, pyrotechnic sponge, punk, smudge, solid fueled rocket, wax, paraffin wax, paraffin oil, lamp oil, whale oil, oil, petroleum, gasoline, high octane gasoline, nitromethane, petrol, gas, juice, gasohol, alcohol, ethanol, methanol, fuel oil, kerosene, jet fuel, heating oil, number 2 oil, number 4 oil, naphtha, rocket fuel, high specific impulse fuel, liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, lox, natural gas, synthetic gas, synthesis gas, propane, butane, hydrogen, brand, torch, fuse, wick, spill, match, light, lucifer, congreve, vesuvian, vesta, fusee, locofoco, linstock, candle, oil, carbonaceous, combustible, inflammable, high octane, high specific impulse, heat of combustion.