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:

The deafening silence reassures me that it was not my mind
playing tricks when I failed to recognise 'smouzling'.

I had guessed that it might be a variant of 'smooch' (or
'smouch' or 'smutch') in the sense of a smear or stain (or a
moral stain, which would fit the context neatly). But evidence
for this actual form seems to be lacking.


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