smoky

Adjective

smoky (comparative smokier, superlative smokiest)

1. Filled with smoke.
   • a smoky cabin
   • Some ſate turning of ſpittes; and the place being all ſmoakie, made me thinke on hell, foꝛ the ioynts of meate lay as if they had béene bꝛoyling in the infernall fire, […]1608, [Thomas Dekker], “Discouering the Most Notable Villanies Now in the Kingdome”, in The Belman of London. […], London: […] [Edward Allde and Nicholas Okes] for Nathaniel Butter, →OCLC, signature...
   1. Filled with or enveloped in tobacco smoke.
      • a smoky bar
      • “Say, little coon, let’s see you hit a step for the boys![…]”
        “I can’t,” Sandy said, frowning instead of smiling, and growing warm as he stood there in the smoky circle of grinning white men. “I don’t know how to dance.”1930, Langston Hughes, “Hey, Boy!”, in Not Without Laughter, New York, N.Y.; London: Alfred A. Knopf, →OCLC, page 229
2. Giving off smoke.
   • a smoky oil lamp
   • [I]s it I,
     That driue thee from the ſportiue Court, where thou
     Was’t ſhot at with faire eyes, to be the marke
     Of ſmoakie Muskets?c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
3. Of a colour or colour pattern similar to that of smoke.
   • The Piſmire kinde of Aetius hath a ſmoky body, an aſh-coloured neck, and the back as it were adorned with ſtars.1658, Tho. Mouffet [i.e., Thomas Muffet, et al.], “The Theater of Insects: Or, Lesser Living Creatures. […]. Chapter XII. Of Spiders That Are Hurtful, or Phalangia.”, in J[ohn] R[owland], transl....
   • [T]he broken walls and roofs were diſtinguiſhable even at that diſtance, and ſometimes a part, which had been repaired, contraſted its colour with the black and ſmoky hues of the remainder.1795, Ann Radcliffe, “Mentz”, in A Journey Made in the Summer of 1794, through Holland and the Western Frontier of Germany, […], London: […] G[eorge,] G[eorge] and J[ohn] Robinson, […], →OCLC, page...
4. Having a flavour or odour like smoke; flavoured with smoke.
   • a smoky whisky
   • [T]hei abstain frō a smo¦ky peace of Bacon or hard salted and poudred biefe or suche lyke, […][1551?], Thomas Becon, chapter IX, in A Fruitful Treatise of Fasting, […], London: […] Ihon Day, […], →OCLC; republished in Early English Books Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: Text Creation Partnership, p....
5. Resembling or composed of smoke.
   • And let thy muſtie vapours march ſo thicke,
     That in their ſmoakie rankes, his ſmothred light
     May ſet at noone, and make perpetuall night.1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], →OCLC, signature F3, verso
   • […] I too gave notice to the various wild inhabitants of Walden vale, by a smoky streamer from my chimney, that I was awake.1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “House-Warming”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 271

   Synonyms:

   fumid, fumous

6. Blackened by smoke.
   • Shepheard I take thy word,
     And truſt thy honeſt offer’d courteſie,
     Which oft is ſooner found in lowly ſheds
     With ſmoakie rafters, then in tapſtrie halls,
     And courts of Princes, […]1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey...
   • The room smelt close and unwholesome, the walls were dirt-discoloured, and the ceiling blackened. There was an old smoky bust over the mantel-shelf, and a dusty clock above the dock—[…]1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “Wherein Is Shown How the Artful Dodger Got into Trouble”, in Oliver Twist; […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 130
7. Addicted to or associated with the smoking of tobacco.
   • [T]o make amends ſince, he hath kneaded and daub’d up a commedie, called The Transformation of the King of Trinidadoes two Daughters, Madame Panachea and the Nymphe Tobacco: And to approue his Heraldrie, ſcutchend out the honorable Armes of the ſmoakie ſocietie.1596, Tho[mas] Nashe, “Dialogus”, in Haue with You to Saffron-Walden. Or, Gabriell Harveys Hunt is Up. […], London: […] John Danter, →OCLC; republished as J[ohn] P[ayne] C[ollier], editor, Have with...
   • Once, this diſcovery of land ſo rauiſhed his ſpirit, by the inexpected deliuery from danger, as eaſily carried his impotent thoughts into a double error, the one in placing earthly Paradiſe in this Iland, (to which opinion, for the excellencie of the Tabacco there found, he ſhould happily haue the...1613, Samuel Purchas, “[Relations of the Discoveries, Regions, and Religions, of the New World.] Of Paris, Guiana, and the Neighbour Countries, Both on the Coast, and within the Land.”, in Purchas...
8. Of a person’s voice: having a deep, raspy quality, often as a result of smoking tobacco.
   • “Stop the York four-day stage!” said he, forcing his smoky voice through a world of throat-embracing shawl; […]1834, William Harrison Ainsworth, chapter V, in Rookwood: A Romance, volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 298
   • Father laughed his smoky laugh. […] The smoky laughter like a bridge between them over your head.1973, Patrick White, chapter 10, in The Eye of the Storm, New York, N.Y.: Viking Press, published 1974, →OCLC, pages 491–492
9. Attractive in a sensual way; sultry.
   • There was still that smoky little thing about her. The sexy swaying walk, the dark voice.1988, Don DeLillo, “20 May”, in Libra, Viking, →ISBN, part 1, page 124
   • Frankly I don’t think his smoky Armenian looks drew their attention so much as the languid elegance of his manner, […]2003, Lionel Shriver, “March 3, 2001”, in We Need to Talk About Kevin, New York, N.Y.: Counterpoint, page 272
10. Having a dark, thick, bass sound.
    • a few smoky jazz notes
    • [T]he sombre and magnificent [Miles] Davis fronts both his Quartet and Gil Evans’s orchestra, pouring out a succession of smoky and sonorous solos […]1962 October 17, Philip Larkin, “Jazz: Holiday in Spring and Summer”, in The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post, 4 a.m. edition, number 33434, London; Manchester: […] The Daily Telegraph Limited, […]...
11. (obsolete) Giving off steam or vapour.
    • He wrencht it [his sword] to the pommel through his ſides,
      That fro the wound the ſmoky blood ran bubling,
      VVhere-with he ſtaggred; […]1594, Robert Garnier, translated by Thomas Kid [i.e., Thomas Kyd], Pompey the Great, His Faire Corneliaes Tragedie: […], London: […] [James Roberts] for Nicholas Ling, published 1595, →OCLC, act V...
    • Dark was the Path, and difficult, and ſteep,
      And thick with Vapours from the ſmoaky Deep.1717, William Congreve, “Book X. [The Story of Orpheus and Eurydice.]”, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Fifteen Books. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 334
12. (obsolete) Obscuring or insubstantial like smoke.
    • [T]o shewe them selfe playnely, to hate & deteste and abhorre vtterly, the pestylent contagyon of all suche smoky communycacyon.1534, Thomas More, “The Preface. Syr Thomas More Knyght to the Chrysten Reader.”, in The Answere to the Fyrst Parte of the Poysened Booke, […], London: […] w. Rastell […], →OCLC; republished as...
    • If besides vayne crakes of smoky speeches, ye shewe no demonstration of sounde proofe, why these bragges of yours should be true, let vs graunt your saying.1581, Walter Haddon, Iohn Foxe, translated by Iames Bell, “The Thyrd Booke”, in Against Ierome Osorius Byshopp of Siluane in Portingall and against His Slaunderous Inuectiues. […], London: […] Iohn...
13. (obsolete) Quick to suspect or take note; open to suspicion; shrewd, sharp, suspicious; jealous.
    • Come, thou art, I see, a smoky old fellow, and I will be very orderly the ensuing part of the journey.1711 August 11 (Gregorian calendar), [Richard Steele], “TUESDAY, August 1, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 132; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume...
    • [T]his old brother of ours tho’ is ſmoaky and ſhrewd, and tho’ an odd, a ſenſible fellow; […]1765, Samuel Foote, The Commissary. A Comedy […], London: […] P[aul] Vaillant, […], →OCLC, Act I, page 20