schmutz
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of schmutz
First recorded in 1965–70; from Yiddish shmuts or German Schmutz, Middle High German smuz; cf. smudge, smut, Middle English bismotered “bespattered, soiled” (all presumably expressive variants of same Germanic base)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My guess, some schmutz and a forgotten receipt, didn’t seem appropriate to say.
From The New Yorker • May 6, 2019
To make my mother’s Cornish hens, I follow her instructions: Rinse, take out the inside schmutz and dry.
From Washington Post • May 3, 2019
There will be supertitles in English and Russian for theatergoers who don’t know their schmaltz from their schmutz.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 3, 2018
“It’s like a glistening manicure with the polish laid over flecks of dirt—under a few clear coats, schmutz is indistinguishable from glitter.”
From Slate • Aug. 9, 2016
“Wipe that schmutz off your face, you two. The four of us are having a night on the town!”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
