Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US) to knock unconscious, to beat up, to hit; thus smearing n., a beating.

1899		W.J. Kountz Billy Baxter’s Letters 58: Jim, did you ever have a fellow come up behind you and smear you back of the ear when you weren’t looking?
1910		O. Johnson Varmint 127: Why you’re the cuss that smeared the Angel, swallowed the Canary, and bumped Tough McCarty, all at once.
1945		(con. 1937) R. Westerby Mad in Pursuit 160: ’E’ll smear you all right.
1951		M. Spillane Long Wait (1954) 103: The poor slob probably figured he had talked his way out of a smearing.
1974		R. Blount Jr About Three Bricks Shy of a Load 119: Ben Davidson hit a quarterback once—I was in there ahead of him and I had already come to a stop, the ball was thrown, and Ben ran past me and smeared the guy.

2. (US) to defeat, to trounce.

1915		R.A. Kelly letter 16 May in Kelly of the Foreign Legion (1917) 89: Bavarian troops [...] made a rush for us [...] but our artillery was most effective, and we stood firm in our trenches and smeared them.
1915		R. Bolwell ‘College Sl. Words And Phrases’ in DN IV:iii 235: smear, v. [...] To defeat; chastise; drub.
1934		‘Maxwell Grant’ ‘Murder Marsh’ in Shadow Oct. 🌐 The Shadow’s been smearing some mighty sweet rackets while you was in stir.
1989		T. Wolff (con. mid-1950s) This Boy’s Life 130: [A]fter the club got smeared by a couple of other clubs the old members either got serious themselves or dropped out.

3. (US) to fine.

1920

A. Baer Railroading 9 Aug. [synd. col.] A bull pinches you for loafing. Judge smears you ten smackers.

4. to kill, to murder.

1927		D. Hammett ‘$106,000 Blood Money’ Story Omnibus (1966) 351: The bullet took him low in the back – smeared him out on the floor.
1932		D. Hammett ‘Too Many Have Lived’ in Nightmare Town (2001) 317: Smear anybody that pops.
1951		M. Spillane Long Wait (1954) 124: I felt like smearing him right there.
2021		T. Pluck Boy from County Hell 177: [T]he Calvineau clan was less survivable than getting smeared by a semi.

5. (US) to bribe.

1933		Ersine Und. and Prison Sl.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.

6. to slander, esp. to cause trouble for someone by discrediting their reputation.

1938		R. Chandler ‘The King in Yellow’ in Spanish Blood (1946) 88: People who smear women in order to cover up a revenge murder.
1949		R. Chandler Little Sister 121: The cops couldn’t find out without smearing Miss Weld.
1951		M. Spillane One Lonely Night 59: I won’t get smeared.
1967–8		Baker et al. CUSS 199: Smear Make uncomplimentary remarks about someone.
1973		Sun. Times Mag. 16 Sept. 44: Buckley wanted to smear me as a fag.
1989		T. Blacker Fixx 125: Go smear someone else.
1999		Guardian Guide 14–20 Aug. 54: Dirty Cliff Robertson, who will stoop to smearing his rival to win the nomination.
2000		Indep. on Sun. 16 Jan. 24: If a police van knocks you down, expect to be smeared in court and the press.

7. see schmeer v.