smash hit
1312
**smash 'hit** n a very successful new play, book, film etc: I predict this play will be the smash hit of the season.
**Smash 'Hits** trademark a British music magazine for young people, with articles on popular music and the singers and bands who produce it
**smash·ing** /'smæʃIŋ/ adj infml, especially BrE, becoming old-fash very fine; wonderful; excellent: We had a smashing holiday.
**'smash-up** n a serious road or railway accident: a smash-up involving five cars
**smat·ter·ing** /'smætərIŋ/ n ˈ[(of)] 1 a small scattered number or amount 2 limited knowledge: I picked up a smattering of German during my stay.
**smear¹** /smɪəʳ/ n 1 a mark or spot made by smearing: paint smears 2 especially med (an act of taking) a small amount of cells from the body prepared for examining under a microscope: Women are advised to have a cervical smear every five years. 3 an unproved charge made intentionally to try to turn public feelings against someone: The Democrats have come up with several new smears about the Republican candidate.
**smear²** v 1 a) [T] to cause (a sticky or oily material) to spread on or go across (a surface): Be careful: if you touch the wall you'll smear the fresh paint. | [+obj+on, over] She smeared sun tan lotion all over herself. | [+obj+with] The sides of the child's mouth were smeared with chocolate. b) [I] (of such material) to do this: Be careful; the paint may smear. → compare SMUDGE; see SPREAD (USAGE) 2 [I;T] to (cause to) lose clearness by smearing or rubbing: Several words had/ were smeared and I couldn't read them. 3 [T] to make a SMEAR against; charge unfairly
**'smear cam,paign** n a deliberate attempt (e.g. through newspapers or television) to damage people's good opinion of someone
**'smear test** also **pap smear** AmE — n a medical test made by examining a SMEAR especially of cells from a woman's CERVIX for discovering CANCER
**smell¹** /smel/ v **smelled** or **smelt** /smelt/ 1 [I] to have or use the sense of the nose: I've got a cold and I can't smell. 2 [T] to notice, examine, discover, or recognize by this sense: Smell these flowers – they've got a lovely scent. | I think I smell gas! | [+v-ing] I can smell burning. | [+wh-] I could smell that the milk wasn't fresh. | [+obj+v-ing] (fig.) I could smell trouble/danger coming, so I left. → compare SNIFF 3 [I+adv/prep, especially of, like; L+adj] to have an effect on the nose; have a particular smell: The room smelt of stale beer/smelt as if it had not been cleaned recently. | a sweet-smelling flower | This book smells old. 4 [I(of)] to have an unpleasant smell: His breath smells. | The meat had been left out for days and had started to smell. → compare STINK 5 [I] to seem or appear: Her explanation of the events didn't smell right to me. 6 **smell a rat** infml to guess that something wrong or dishonest is happening 7 **smell fishy** (of an event etc) to seem false; cause one to think that there is more information than one has: He can't be working late again! It smells very fishy to me.
Smelt is more common in British English than smelled but smelled is more common in American English. → see also CAN (USAGE 4)
**smell sbdy./sthg. ⇔ out** phr v [T] 1 to discover or find (as if) by smelling: The hounds smelt out a fox. | A good reporter must be able to smell out a news story. 2 BrE || **smell sbdy/sthg ⇔ up** AmE to cause (a place) to be unpleasant because of a bad smell: That fish is smelling the kitchen out.
**smell²** n 1 [U] the power of using the nose to discover the presence of substances in the air: A mole tracks its food by smell alone. | These dogs have a marvellous sense of smell. 2 [C(of)] a quality that has an effect on the nose: Some flowers have stronger smells than others. | There was a smell of burning. | a musty smell 3 [C] an unpleasant smell; ODOUR: This new air freshener gets rid of smells fast. → compare STINK; see also SMELLY 4 [C usually sing.] an act of smelling something: Have a smell of this wine; does it seem all right?
**'smelling salts** n [P] a strong-smelling chemical, especially AMMONIA formerly often carried in a small bottle, for curing faintness
**smell·y** /'smeli/ adj unpleasant-smelling: smelly socks —**iness** n [U]
**smelt¹** /smelt/ past tense & participle of SMELL → see SMELL (USAGE)
**smelt²** v [T] to melt (ORE) for separating and removing the metal
**smelt³** n pl. **smelts** or **smelt** a small fish of lakes and coasts
**smid·gin, smidgen** /'smɪdʒən/ n [S] infml a small amount; bit: 'More cheese?' 'Just a smidgin, please.'
**smile¹** /smaɪl/ n 1 an expression of the face with the mouth turned up at the ends and the eyes bright, that usually expresses amusement, pleasure, approval, or sometimes bitter feelings: She had a proud/lovely smile on her face. | He was wearing/his face creased into a broad smile. | a smile of welcome 2 **all smiles** infml very happy-looking: The winner was all smiles as he heard the results of the voting.
A smile is an expression of the face showing amusement or happiness. A grin is a very wide smile which usually shows the teeth. A leer is an unpleasant smile suggesting cruelty, thoughts of sex etc, and a smirk is a silly, satisfied smile. → see also LAUGH (USAGE)
**smile²** v 1 [I(at);T] to have or make (a smile): the children's happy smiling faces | It's rare to see him smile. | She smiled at me in a friendly fashion. | [+to-v] When I look back at my youth, I smile (=am amused) to think how foolish I was. | She smiled a cheerful smile. → compare GRIN 2 [T] to express with a smile: She smiled a greeting. 3 [I(on)] especially lit to act or look favourably: The weather smiled on us. (=it was a fine day) —**smilingly** adv
**Smil·lie, Carol** /'smaili/ (1961–) a British television presenter from Scotland who presented the home improvement programme Changing Rooms, and is known for always smiling
**smirch** /smɜːtʃ||smɜːrtʃ/ v [T] fml to bring dishonour on; BESMIRCH
**smirk** /smɜːk||smɜːrk/ v [I] derog to smile in a silly self-satisfied way, often at someone else's misfortune → see SMILE¹ (USAGE) —**smirk** n: a triumphant smirk
**Smir·noff** /'smɜːnf||'smɜrnɔːf/ trademark a type of VODKA
**smite** /smaɪt/ v **smote** /sməʊt/, **smitten** /'smɪtn/ [T(DOWN)] 1 old use, lit to strike hard 2 especially bibl, lit to destroy, attack, or punish as if by a blow 3 [(by, with) usually pass.] to have a powerful sudden effect on: He was smitten by/with grief. | She's been smitten down (=has become ill) with flu. → compare SMITTEN
**smith** /smɪθ/ n (usually in comb.) a worker in metal, especially a BLACKSMITH → see also GOLDSMITH, SILVERSMITH
**Smith** a very common name in the UK and the US. There is a joke that it is used by people who do not want their real name to be known, especially in the past by people who were sharing a hotel room when they were not married: They checked into the hotel as Mr and Mrs John Smith.
**Smith, Adam** (1723–90) a Scottish ECONOMIST who strongly believed in FREE ENTERPRISE (=an economic system in which private businesses are free to make money, and there is not much government control). He developed his ideas in his book The Wealth of Nations, which has had an important influence on modern economic and political ideas → see also ADAM SMITH INSTITUTE
**Smith, Bes·sie** /'besi/ (1895–1937) a US BLUES singer who was very popular in the 1920s, and whose style influenced many later musicians. Many people know the story of how she died after a car crash, when she was not allowed to enter a hospital for white people because she was African-American.
**Smith, Dame Maggie** (1934–) a British film and theatre actress. Her many films include two for which she won an Oscar: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and California Suite (1978). Her other films include A Room with a View and the Harry Potter series of films.
**Smith, De·li·a** /dɪ'liːə/ (1941–) a British woman who writes books and makes very popular television programmes that teach people how to cook. Her books are among the most popular books sold in the UK, and people often simply call her 'Delia'.
**Smith, I·ain Dun·can** /'iːən 'dʌŋkən/ (1954–) the leader of