Smouzling

[Michael Quinion]

Could some expert member of this list give me some pointers to
the word 'smouzling' which appears in this exchange, recorded in
the Official Report of the Proceedings and Debates of the Third
Constitutional Convention of Ohio, 1873-1874:

Mr. WEST. It is urged upon the assumption that there has been
what some gentlemen here have characterized as "smouzling".
Mr. HOADLY. What is that?
Mr. WEST. Skulduggery.
Mr. HOADLY. Well, what does that mean?
Mr. WEST. I do not know what it means, but that is what I heard
talked about here.

I was actually looking up 'skulduggery' at the time. I have a
feeling that 'smouzling' ought to be familiar to me, but my mind
has gone blank!


--
Michael Quinion
Editor, World Wide Words
<editor at worldwidewords.org>
<http://www.worldwidewords.org/>