▪ I. smooch, n.1 U.S.
(smuːtʃ)
[Cf. smouch n.4 and smutch n.]
A smutch or smear.
| 1825 J. Neal Bro. Jonathan II. 46 Cowhide shoes—newly greased..which left a ‘smooch’ upon whatever they came near. 1842 Motley Lett. (1889) I. 136 The body of the Child is a mere smooch of lamp-black. 1869 Mrs. Whitney We Girls iii. (1873) 58 A smooch of stove-polish across her arm. |
▪ II. smooch, n.2 orig. and chiefly U.S.
(smuːtʃ)
[f. smooch v.3 or var. smouch n.1]
A kiss; a fondling embrace or caress, a cuddle. Also, slow, close dancing; (music suitable for) a dance of this nature. Freq. attrib.
| 1942 Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §847/4 Smooch, a kiss. Ibid. §830/5 Smoochbuggy,..an automobile used for ‘necking’. 1945 Tacoma (Washington) News Tribune 27 Oct. 3/3 I'd rather have hootch And a bit of a smooch—The air corps will always do me. 1957 Time 2 Sept. 28/3 Ethel Merman and Fernando Lamas..found that their nightly onstage smooch grated too harshly on their star-crossed sensibilities. 1971 New Scientist 24 June 730/1 Two Antipodean couples joined their lips in a long-term kiss aimed at beating the standing smooch record. 1973 J. Wainwright Pride of Pigs 43 The smooch classics—Mood Indigo, Lazy River, Georgia On My Mind—slow and draggy. 1977 Record Mirror 16 Apr. 27/5 Perfect even-tempoed bland MOR until it slows up for a smooch. |
▪ III. smooch, v.1 Latterly U.S.
(smuːtʃ)
[Cf. smooch n.1 and smutch v.]
trans. To sully, dirty. Hence smooched ppl. a.
| 1631 Heywood Fair Maid of West i. v. i, Must your black face be smooching my Mistresses white lips with a moorian? 1828 Webster s.v. Smutch, In New England..smooch..signifies to foul or blacken with something produced by combustion or other like substance. 1835 Willis Pencillings I. xix. 137 Attracting the attention and courtesies of every smooched petticoat far and near. |
▪ IV. smooch, v.2 dial. and colloq.
(smuːtʃ)
[App. an altered form of mooch, mouch v.]
1. intr. To sneak, creep; to wander or prowl round (somewhere).
| 1904 in Eng. Dial. Dict. 1950 R. Moore Candlemas Bay 223 Then he realized his mother would probably send him back for the dish, so he smooched glumly in to retrieve it. 1960 I. Jefferies Dignity & Purity v. 76 ‘What are your plans?’ ‘I'm going to smooch round here, if that's all right.’ |
2. trans. To steal.
| 1941 J. M. Cain Mildred Pierce xi. 229 Then she..went over to the cash box, and smooched four $10 bills. |
▪ V. smooch, v.3 orig. U.S.
(smuːtʃ)
[Var. smouch v.1]
intr. To kiss; to neck or pet; spec. while dancing to a lazy, romantic melody.
| 1932 Amer. Speech VII. 336 Smooch,..to kiss. 1937 Sat. Even. Post 20 Feb. 89/2 Once upon a time you ‘spooned’,..but now you may ‘smooch’ or ‘perch’. 1952 R. V. Williams Hard Way ii. 19 Maybe she smooched with them. Maybe she didn't. 1959 Encounter May 22/1 She would find her mother smooching away with some man. 1964 L. Nkosi Rhythm of Violence 41 Mary and Gama are sharing a studio couch on which they are smooching quietly. 1972 ‘M. Yorke’ Silent Witness ii. 39 ‘I prefer to smooch to subtle melodies,’ said Patrick, clasping her closely. |
Hence ˈsmooching vbl. n. and ppl. a.
| 1941 J. Smiley Hash House Lingo 51 Smooching, employee making love to one of the opposite sex while on duty. 1951 S. J. Perelman in New Yorker 20 Oct. 29/2 No parenthetical smooching is going to upset her apple⁓cart. 1962 John o' London's 16 Aug. 163/3 When Miss Baxter pokes her head through the window of a smooching couple's car..it's merely funny. 1977 Time 8 Aug. 29/2 Stapleton, 46, danced a bit and inspired some affectionate smooching from the guest of honor. 1978 H. Jobson To die a Little iii. 52 We danced on..in a cluster of smooching bodies. |