a. Also 6 smery, smearye, 6–7 smeerie, smearie. [f. SMEAR sb. or v. Cf. NFris. smēri, smörig, WFris. smoarrich, smoarch, MDu. smerich (Du. smerig), MLG. smerich (LG. smerig, G. dial. schmêrig, G. schmierig), MSw. smörug (Sw. smörjig), MDa. smørugh, -ig.]
1. Marked or characterized by smears; showing smears or dirty marks; bedaubed, begrimed.
a. 1529. Skelton, Ware the Hawke, 324. Masyd, wytles, smery smyth, Hampar with your hammer vpon thy styth.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, III. (Arb.), 78. You shal so gaunted in hunger, That youre smeary tabils you wyl most greedelye swallow.
1625. Purchas, Pilgrims, II. 1769. The said place being all black, smeerie, and foule therewith.
1844. Thackeray, in Fraser’s Mag., XXIX. 710. The Wilkie-like pictures of Mr. Fraser, with their peculiar smeary manner.
1861. Dickens, Gt. Expect., xliii. A smeary newspaper long out of date.
1883. D. C. Murray, Hearts, I. ix. 226. It was a decided nuisance to have to make love to a crying woman whose eyes were actually growing smeary whilst she wept.
2. Tending to smear or soil; of a greasy or unctuous nature.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, Ded. (Arb.), 9. That bast theyre papers with smearie larde sauoring al too geather of thee frying pan.
1597. A. M., trans. Guillemeau’s Fr. Chirurg., 35 b/1. Her sweat … is fattye, & axungiouse, and smearye.
1683. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., Printing, xi. ¶ 23. 76. Trane-Oyl … [makes the ink] dull, smeary and unpleasant to the Eye.
1708. Rowe, Royal Convert, III. A smeary foam works o’er my grinding jaws. Ibid. (1718), Lucan’s Pharsalia, III. 1015. The smeary Wax the bright’ning Blaze supplies.
1757. trans. Henckel’s Pyritologia, 317. If again exposed to the air, it becomes smeary, moist, and fluid.
1816. W. Smith, Strata Identified, 9. Mouldering when dry; smeary when wet.
1899. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., VIII. 252. A good housekeeper who does not like to set her butter on the table in a smeary state, keeps it in summer on ice.
