What's the difference between smack and smattering?

Smack


Definition:

  • (n.) A small sailing vessel, commonly rigged as a sloop, used chiefly in the coasting and fishing trade.
  • (v. i.) Taste or flavor, esp. a slight taste or flavor; savor; tincture; as, a smack of bitter in the medicine. Also used figuratively.
  • (v. i.) A small quantity; a taste.
  • (v. i.) A loud kiss; a buss.
  • (v. i.) A quick, sharp noise, as of the lips when suddenly separated, or of a whip.
  • (v. i.) A quick, smart blow; a slap.
  • (adv.) As if with a smack or slap.
  • (n.) To have a smack; to be tinctured with any particular taste.
  • (n.) To have or exhibit indications of the presence of any character or quality.
  • (n.) To kiss with a close compression of the lips, so as to make a sound when they separate; to kiss with a sharp noise; to buss.
  • (n.) To make a noise by the separation of the lips after tasting anything.
  • (v. t.) To kiss with a sharp noise; to buss.
  • (v. t.) To open, as the lips, with an inarticulate sound made by a quick compression and separation of the parts of the mouth; to make a noise with, as the lips, by separating them in the act of kissing or after tasting.
  • (v. t.) To make a sharp noise by striking; to crack; as, to smack a whip.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) "I think that we've got to treat our kids well, but I don't think we ought to say there's no place ever for smacks.
  • (2) As a parent himself, he steered a deliberate course on discipline (neither he nor his wife ever smacked their girls) and on external influences - the family did not have a television while the children were young, preferring to read.
  • (3) But Blair's address - "history will forgive us" - was a dubious exercise in group therapy: the cheers smacked of pathetic gratitude, as he piously pardoned the legislators, as well as himself, for the catastrophe of Iraq.
  • (4) It's hard to imagine a more masculine character than Thor, who is based on the god of thunder of Norse myth: he's the strapping, hammer-wielding son of Odin who, more often than not, sports a beard and likes nothing better than smacking frost giants.
  • (5) For every drop shot that was loose, lazy and tossed away a point, there was another that smacked of insouciant brilliance.
  • (6) As a strategy to enhance Miliband’s standing it was surely flawed and may even smack of desperation, suggesting that their man is locked out of larger media opportunities.
  • (7) Given what is now known about the way the case was made for launching an arguably illegal war – this country's biggest foreign policy debacle since Suez – Heywood's refusal to release the conversations smacks of a shabby cover-up at worst, or foot-dragging in a moderately more charitable interpretation.
  • (8) Monsieur Blue open daily midday-2am; Tokyo Eat open daily midday-midnight; Le Smack open midday-midnight Le Musée de la Vie Romantique Cafe Vie Romantique This is one of the most discrete but enchanting Parisian museums, an early 19th-century mansion tucked away down a narrow cul-de-sac in the backstreets of Pigalle.
  • (9) One Labour source claimed the appointment of Green smacked of “Andy Coulson mark II”, a reference to Cameron’s decision to appoint the former News of the World editor as his press spokesman despite the reports of phone hacking at the newspaper.
  • (10) For the right, the word "vulnerable" smacks of victimhood, of ducking blame and not holding individuals accountable for their actions.
  • (11) For everything that matters, as of now, we are smack in the Post-Information Age.
  • (12) Evgeniy Khorishko, at the Russian embassy in Washington, also denied the claims, telling Itar-Tass that "such horror stories smack of cold war times".
  • (13) If we’re going to do this groupthink [a blanket ban] I think it would smack of petulance.” Jones added: “I stand by what Tony Abbott said: it [Q&A] is a lefty lynch mob.
  • (14) The strained efforts of Merkel and Steinmeier to stage a non-confrontational campaign smacked of a conspiracy of silence.
  • (15) Elements of both sides were looking for trouble and police were smack in the middle of that and that’s the sort of thing that is going to be problematic for us.
  • (16) That is some going, even by Fifa standards, though it smacks of incompetence and desperation rather than corruption.
  • (17) But this is a rare moment of good sense in a document that smacks of tactical manoeuvring – of the kind that may cause the corporation strategic harm.
  • (18) That smacks of bravado as the capital is around 1,000 miles away and the rebels number only 1,500 to 2,500 – and the Congolese army is about 150,000-strong.
  • (19) As UFC president Dana White tried to pull the two fighters together, Diaz raised his right hand and McGregor bent his left and smacked it away.
  • (20) Stirling's attempt to refuse the request, calling it "vexatious", smacks of fear.

Smattering


Definition:

  • (n.) A slight, superficial knowledge of something; sciolism.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The debut of the film – before an audience of business journalists, film critics and a smattering of Wonga customers – comes before a grilling by MPs in Westminster on Tuesday as calls grow for tighter curbs on payday lenders.
  • (2) The trophic value of a food cannot be ascertained from food composition tables because only a smattering of the necessary information is commonly furnished.
  • (3) They've heard the views of a smattering of North Kivu's humanitarians, politicians, businessmen, civil society types and militia leaders.
  • (4) Nothing but plain text and links, it features a smattering of links from across the web as well as personal selections by various staff of active Kickstarter projects.
  • (5) As ever, there were a smattering of terrifyingly young GCSE students celebrating their successes.
  • (6) The village is a smattering of fishing shacks frequented by stray dogs and chickens; the sand is littered with sweet wrappers, water bottles, flip-flops and polystyrene food containers; the sea is cloudy from the dredging.
  • (7) In the face of such uncertainty, a smattering of refugees remained camped on the Hungarian border.
  • (8) There were MPs (Hilary Benn and family), a smattering of celebs, a lot of public sector workers, Unison stewards in smart purple smocks.
  • (9) Now the party, which has been dogged by allegations of financial mismanagement , has just a smattering of local councillors, and experts say that by May the UK could be "BNP-free" for the first time in a decade if Griffin fails to retain his seat in the European parliamentary elections.
  • (10) Its existing city centre has a smattering of empty shops at the foot of neglected Victorian buildings, and is noticeably short on big chains.
  • (11) That may represent a tiny fraction of the industry’s estimated sales of recorded music, but still, a means of listening to music essentially invented in the 19th century and long since presumed to be dead is growing at speed, and the presses at Optimal – along with similar facilities smattered across the UK, mainland Europe, the US and beyond – are set to grind and pump on, into the future.
  • (12) Many heartland supporters have already defected, and a smattering of leading trade unionists and Labour socialists have professed reluctant support for yes.
  • (13) Now they are smattered with artists' showrooms and craft workshops.
  • (14) It’s like a real-life computer game, with the extra dramatic dimension that if you crash you can’t just reboot,” he said, as a smattering of drone groupies pressed up against the barriers to eavesdrop on their hero.
  • (15) The former Murdoch editors Andrew Neil, David Yelland, Harold Evans and Colin Myler were all criticised personally, as were a smattering of lawyers such as Tom Crone .
  • (16) ‘Like the poshest hostage video ever’: our columnists on the Queen’s speech | Panel Read more The programme was also smattered with consumer-friendly pledges, from rolling out high-speed broadband nationwide and making it easier to switch energy supplier, to allowing local authorities to force bus firms to run more frequent services.
  • (17) There was a smattering of boos from the home supporters who had stayed to the final whistle.
  • (18) His grandmother was a leading communist, his father, Edward, a Labour voter and assistant director of education for West Sussex (before piggybacking on his son's success to become a well known broadcaster in his own right) while Enfield has always been a bit of a political maverick – liberal with a smattering of Catholic conservatism (though he's pretty much had it with God), and libertarianism (he loves a good hunt).
  • (19) Such is the "Red" part of his thinking, and the reason why his smattering of Tory fans often seem to be far outnumbered by hostile Thatcherites; as one Labour figure recently put it, "a Red Tory revolution would certainly need much blue blood to be spilled."
  • (20) I’d say to all of you please, judge us by our performance, not by our titles.” Abbott’s speech, which drew a smattering of applause from the audience, provoked a mixed reaction.