smudgey

comparative smudgier · superlative smudgiest

1. alternativeAlternative spelling of smudgy.

   The silly grin on his smudgey face revealed that he had a big, dark hole in his mouth where one front tooth should have been.

   1989, Mary Kirchoff, chapter 7, in Kendermore (Dragonlance: Preludes; 2), Lake Geneva, Wis.: TSR, Inc., →ISBN, page 91

   2 more examples

   [T]he only resident servant was a sixteen-year-old runner of small errands. A girl always down at the heels, with a smudgey face, rough hair, flyaway cap, and dirty apron.

   1873 September, John Baker Hopkins, “Making the Worst of it”, in The Gentleman’s Magazine, volume XI, London: Grant & Co., […], chapter XXIV (Mrs. Laura Marshall), page 353

   Incidentally, most of the carbons we see are mighty poor copies of an original that may well be a cause of editorial eye strain. Often they are smudgey, or so pale and faded they cannot be read at night.

   1956 summer, “Criticism Is What You Make of It”, in Rewrite: The Magazine of Effective Writing, volume XVI, number 2, Lunenburg, Mass.: Writers’ Counsel Service, page 10, column 2