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smatter - definition and meaning
Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
intransitive verb To speak (a language) without fluency.
intransitive verb To study or approach superficially; dabble in.
intransitive verb To prattle.
noun A smattering.
from The Century Dictionary.
To make a noise. Songs and Carols (ed. Wright), No. lxxii.
To talk superficially or ignorantly.
To have a slight or superficial knowledge.
To talk ignorantly or superficially about; use in conversation or quote in a superficial manner.
To get a superficial knowledge of.
To taste slightly.
noun Slight or superficial knowledge; a smattering.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
transitive verb To talk superficially about.
transitive verb To gain a slight taste of; to acquire a slight, superficial knowledge of; to smack.
intransitive verb To talk superficially or ignorantly; to babble; to chatter.
intransitive verb To have a slight taste, or a slight, superficial knowledge, of anything; to smack.
noun Superficial knowledge; a smattering.
from Wiktionary , Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
verb intransitive To talk superficially ; to babble .
verb transitive To speak (a language) with spotty or superficial knowledge .
verb transitive (figuratively ) To study or approach superficially ; to dabble in.
noun superficial knowledge ; a smattering
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
verb to talk foolishly
verb work with in an amateurish manner
verb speak with spotty or superficial knowledge
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Middle English smateren , to make dirty, speak foolishly, chatter.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Middle English smateren. Compare Swedish smattra, Danish and Norwegian smadre (all of which mean to patter ), German schmettern ("to resound").
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Examples
a superficial "smatter " of knowledge concerning many.
The Girl Wanted Nixon Waterman 1901
Occasionally he would do a rewrite in reported speech to present a smatter of variety.
A Small Death in the Great Glen A. D. Scott 2010
This should serve as a preview for the ridiculousness that Republicans are going to smatter us with this election season.
Obama beats back criticism over head of VP search 2008
Beware magazine images showing squishy, sofa-style furniture – those piles of cushions have to be lugged indoors whenever there's a smatter of rain, then stored somewhere.
Homes: Big ideas for small backyards Susie Steiner 2010
Shopkeepers board up their windows, plastic bags tumble across the road, a few warning drops smatter the ground foreshadowing the deluge sure to follow.
First Rains « Cameroon 2008
She knew how to do things and make things and even her good looks were competent, a straightforward sort of ableness, open and clear-eyed, with a smatter of fading freckles and a dirty-minded smile.
Underworld Don Delillo 2008
Several smatter also crowd the bridge keeping an eye out.
CNN Transcript Jul 21, 2008 2008
She knew how to do things and make things and even her good looks were competent, a straightforward sort of ableness, open and clear-eyed, with a smatter of fading freckles and a dirty-minded smile.
Underworld Don Delillo 2008
She knew how to do things and make things and even her good looks were competent, a straightforward sort of ableness, open and clear-eyed, with a smatter of fading freckles and a dirty-minded smile.
Underworld Don Delillo 2008
I just smatter on as much as I want and then stoke the fire up to near heatstroke levels.
Archive 2007-02-01 kludge 2007
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