1823. Bee, Dict. Turf, s.v. Smashed . . . Smashers—passers of bad money were so called during the pest of the old smooth coin. The term was soon extended to bad notes of the Bank of England; and their occupation was called smashing from the resemblance each bore the other in morals.
1834. Ainsworth, Rookwood, 'Jerry Juniper's Chaunt.' Readily the queer screens I then could smash.
1840. Lytton, Paul Clifford, xxxi. Stretched for smashing queer screens.
1851-61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab., ii. 488. Every coin . . . was bad—all smashers.
1883. Greenwood, Tag, Rag, and Co. The individual mentioned on the paper was a smasher.
1886. Ev. Standard, 11 Jan. Paper of a kind commonly used by smashers to wrap up their coins, to prevent their rubbing against each other.
1887. Henley, Villon's Straight Tip, i. You pitch a snide, or smash a rag.
2. (common).—To ruinate, to go bankrupt: also (military) to be reduced or broke. As subs. (or smash-up) = ruin, destruction, bankruptcy; all to smash = all to pieces, completely.
c. 1847. Thackeray, Letters, 120. I have made an awful smash at the Literary Fund, and have tumbled into 'Evins knows where.
1849. Bronte, Shirley, ii. Your hellish machinery is shivered to smash on Stilboro' Moor.
1861. Bradley, New Rector, x. There isn't a fellow at school can match me, Miss Moore! I beat them all to smash!
1885. D. Telegraph, 28 Dec. If it . . . comes to out-and-out smash, and selling up.
1887. St. James's Gaz., 22 Jan. There was a final smash-up of his party as well as of his reputation.
1895. Le Queux, Temptress, iv. May this smash bring me good luck in the future. Ibid., v. I tell you it is pay or smash with me.
3. (pugilists').—To beat badly; to double up (Bee). Hence smasher = a settling blow.
1832. Egan, Book of Sports, s.v. All of a heap, and all of a lump, unmistakably doubled up by a smasher.
1866. London Misc., 5 May, 202. Doubled you up, I mean, sir. Smashed you.
4. (old).—To kick downstairs: e.g., 'The chubbs toute the blosses, they smash, and make them brush' = The sharpers catch their Mistresses on the hop, kick them downstairs and make them clear out (B. E. and Grose).
Smasher, subs. (common).—1.
Anything exceptional; a settler:
see Whopper. Whence smashing
= crushing.
1854. Field, Drama at Pokerville [Bartlett]. Put up your benefit for that night: and if you don't have a smasher . . . say I don't understand managing the theatres.
2. See Smash, verb. 1.
3. (nautical).—A north country seaman (Clark Russell).
Smash-feeder, subs. phr.
(thieves').—A Britannia-metal
spoon.
Smatterer, subs. (colloquial).—'One
half-learned. A Smattering,
a slight Tincture in any Skill or
Learning' (B. E.).
Smear, subs. (old).—1. A plasterer
(Grose).
2. (American).—Food; hash; grub: espec. 'a society spread or supper' (Bartlett).
Smear-gelt, subs. phr. (old).—A
bribe (Grose).
Smectymnus (obsolete).—See quot.
1721. Bailey, Eng. Dict., s.v. Smectymnus, A word made out of the first letters of the names of five presbyterian ministers, viz., Stephen Marshall, Edmund Culamy, Thomas Young, Mathew Newcomen, and William Spurstow, who wrote a book against Episcopacy, and the Common Prayer, a.d. 1641, whence they and their followers were called Smectymnians.
