besmearing

Verb

besmear (third-person singular simple present besmears, present participle besmearing, simple past and past participle besmeared)

1. (transitive) To smear over, to smear all over, to daub.
   • I long to ſee thee backe returne from thence,
     That I may view theſe milk-white ſteeds of mine.
     All loden with the heads of killed men,
     And from their knees, euen to their hoofes below,
     Beſmer’d with blood, that makes a dainty ſhow.c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC...

   Synonyms:

   bedaub, bedirty, soil, assoil, beclart, imbrue (especially with blood), bedizen, befile, befilth, befoul

2. (transitive) To damage the reputation of, to tarnish, to sully.
   • Novv, Sir, vvhen my Time comes, leſt they ſhou'd think it vvorth vvhile to handle my Memory vvith the ſame Freedom, I am vvilling to prevent its being ſo odly beſmear'd (or at beſt but flatly vvhite-vvash'd) by taking upon me to give the Publick This, as true a Picture of myſelf as natural Vanity...1740, Colley Cibber, chapter I, in An Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber, […], London: […] John Watts for the author, →OCLC, page 3

   Synonyms:

   besmirch, bewray, slander, assassinate, asperse, backbite, badmouth, befoul, belibel, blacken