Definition of "smudge" [smudge]

• To make dirty, especially in one small area. (verb-transitive)
• To smear or blur (something). (verb-transitive)
• To fill (an orchard or another planted area) with dense smoke from a smudge pot in order to prevent damage from insects or frost. (verb-transitive)
• To smear something as with dirt, soot, or ink. (verb-intransitive)
• To become smudged: Photo negatives smudge easily. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "However, I should have noted yesterday that the Jore campaign says the smudge is an erasure."
• "I suppose for what you call smudge regression you could choose a T so that as lambda approached some predefined value the fit would approach the average."
• "It was called "smudge" by some of the old railway companies that tipped any leftovers from painting their engines or coaches into a big tub, mixed them together and painted their goods wagons with it."