smearing
n.— «Climbers encounter virtually every technique somewhere in its 2000 feet, though the most exciting sections entail steep edging and smearing, plus a knack for finding the easiest line.» —“DNB: Direct North Buttress, Middle Cathedral Rock, Yosemite Valley” by John Long Climbing Magazine Feb.-Mar., 1990. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a word-pecker is “a person who trifles or plays with, or quibbles over, words.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Word-Peckers” I always love it when I’m looking through the dictionary and...
How do dictionaries define colors? And why are some of those definitions so confusing, like “stronger than carmine” and “bluer than fiesta”? Dictionary editor Kory Stamper explains it all in her new book. Plus, the story behind the expression more...