1

How do you Spell: Smused, Smoosed?

As in: "Bill Smused the clients. Warming them up for the spiel from marketing."

Jonathon
  • 223

1 Answers1

14

I'll throw a guess you want schmooze (or shmooze as a spelling variant):

to talk with someone in a friendly way often in order to get some advantage for yourself

(From Merriam Webster)

Matt E. Эллен
  • 29,137
Vilmar
  • 3,643
  • Yes, that is it. Thank you. Google was not helping at all. And I am really surprised that it did not turn up in any the the synonym for "amuse" lists that I looked at. – Jonathon Sep 04 '14 at 14:12
  • 3
    Note that "schmooze" is intransitive: the usage is "Bill schmoozed *with* the clients, warming them up for the spiel from marketing." – Marthaª Sep 04 '14 at 15:21
  • 2
    ... though it looks like Merriam-Webster lists a transitive usage for it, too, but that sounds Totally Wrong to my ear. – Marthaª Sep 04 '14 at 15:23
  • 1
    "Schmooze" is not related to "amuse," and the two words' meanings are pretty different. That's why you didn't find it in a list of synonyms for "amuse." – librik Sep 04 '14 at 16:31
  • 1
    @Marthaª I hear "schmoozed the client" more often than "schmoozed with the client"...maybe a local preference? – Kristina Lopez Sep 04 '14 at 18:01
  • Ya, "schmoozed the client" is, I believe, the only way I have ever heard the word used. It is an action to be performed on someone. – Jonathon Sep 04 '14 at 20:57
  • I sort of thought. Schmooze is sort of like amusing someone for advantage. If you boss tells you to amuse the potential clients, is just leaving out the implied part of you trying to get some sort of business/personal advantage. – Jonathon Sep 04 '14 at 21:02
  • 1
    Is no one going to mention that this is a Yiddishism? – Brian Donovan Nov 29 '14 at 20:18