LL-L "Delectables" 2005.05.14 (08) [E]

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From: Global Moose Translations <globalmoose at t-online.de>
Subject: LL-L "Delectables" 2005.05.14 (05) [E]

Arvid Huisman wrote:
> As a youngster I heard my parents and grandparents frequently use (in East
> Frisian Low German) the word "schmear" in the context of spreading butter
on
> bread or toast. What is the precise definition of "schmear?" Is it a verb
as
> well as a noun?

It's a verb: "schmieren" means "to spread", just like Dutch and Lower Saxon
"smeren", and similar to English "to smear". It can also mean "to lubricate"
or "to grease" (also in the context of "greasing somebody's palm"). There's
also the noun "Schmiere" for grease. "Ein Brot schmieren" means that you
spread stuff on a sandwich with a knife, but doesn't specify what it is you
are spreading - butter, margarine, jam, liverwurst, lard, mustard, cream
cheese - could be anything soft.

There's also the slang expression "eine geschmiert bekommen" oder "ich
schmier' dir gleich eine", which you don't want to hear from your parents -
it means you're about to be slapped in the face.

Gabriele Kahn

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Delectables

Good to hear from you again, Arvid!

Our Gabriele pretty much covered it above.  Let me just add an etymological
note or two.

Obviously, these words (both noun and verb) are related to Modern English
"smear" (< Old English _smeoru_ ~ _smeru_), and there are equivalents in all
Germanic languages.  In the North Germanic ones they developed into _smjer_,
_smør_ and _smör_, meaning 'butter'.

English "shmeer," "shmear," "shmier," etc., comes from Yiddish שמירן _šmirn_
(shmirn) 'to smear', 'to spread (on bread)'.  In American English it usually
means 'to smear', 'to spread (on bread)', etc., namely in the more original
sense, also as a noun ("He put some kind of shmear on it.").  A Jewish
coworker of mine who grew up in New York City, and loves talking about
cooking with me, uses these words all the time.  The other day he even said
to me, "Look! You've got some shmear on your shirt."  Normally he would say
"some shmutz" for any sort of dirt or stain (usually countable: "a shmutz"
in the case of "stain"), but this one looked like some greasy substance,
probably mayonnaise or salad dressing from the salad bar; so it was "a
smear".  I believe that in non-American English the verb "shmear" etc. is
used more in the sense of 'to bribe', 'to flatter', 'to suck up'.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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