Schmearing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Spreading a soft substance such as cream cheese thinly over a surface ; daubing something messy across a surface in an untidy way ; bribing or corrupting someone in order to gain favor
2. Applying a thick layer of spread onto bread or another surface ; smudging or coating something sloppily with a sticky substance ; paying off or corrupting an official to secure an advantage
3. Coating a surface with a soft spread like butter or frosting ; daubing or smearing a sticky mess over something ; bribing a person so as to win their cooperation

Etymology: Schmearing is a form of "schmear," which English borrowed from Yiddish "shmir," meaning "smear" or "spread," a word related to German "schmieren." The English word "smear" is a doublet of this borrowing: both come from the same ancestry but reached English by different routes, so the Yiddish-derived form sits alongside its native cousin with a slightly different flavour. Much of the appeal of "schmear" in English is its sound, with the "schm-" beginning that Yiddish lent to many English words. The most surprising twist is the sense of bribery. In Yiddish, "shmirn" meant both "to smear" and "to bribe," and German "schmieren" carries the same double meaning. The logic is that a bribe greases the wheels, lubricating an exchange so that it runs smoothly. A physical act of spreading grease became a metaphor for smoothing a deal through an illicit payment.

Synonyms: spreading, smearing, daubing, coating

Antonyms: wiping off, scraping off