The liquid acts as an additional lens, narrowing the beam of light just as a telescope turns what looks to the naked eye like a smudge on the horizon into a crisp image.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Although he has managed to successfully turn around NetJets in recent years, the staggering loss he was forced to write off from his bad bet on U.S. Airways remains a smudge on his record.

FORBES: Warren Buffett Owns Up to Mistakes

Barely a smudge on the horizon.

ECONOMIST: Jamaica 1, information technology 0

The sun is a pale smudge in the sky, a pinhole promise of light and warmth, as we lurch and bump across the frozen land in pursuit.

BBC: In Sweden, a long journey home

As I tugged down the sides of my suit jacket and smoothed my tie, I noticed a small smudge on the glass, near my left shoulder.

NEWYORKER: Miracle Polish

As for the gaming machines, we have to say they're pretty conservative-looking, with black lids made from a non-peeling, scratch- and smudge-resistant material, and a handful of chrome accents and blue LEDs thrown in for good measure.

ENGADGET: MSI spits out four more Sandy Bridge laptops, including tasteful-looking F Series gaming rigs

The white smudge is also several hundred metres from a disturbed bit of ground that looks as though it has been singed by a rocket.

ECONOMIST: Has a missing Martian probe been spotted?

Furthermore, with anti-smudge technology, those greasy thumb prints are a thing of the past.

ENGADGET: Samsung Wave: 3.3-inch Super AMOLED, Bluetooth 3.0, and new Bada OS (updated)

Afterwards Mr Cai and his assistants damp out the fire using long poles tipped with sponges, and then smudge the lines of ash so that the portrait looks like a huge charcoal drawing on the wall of the museum's reception hall.

ECONOMIST: Firework chaos theory from a latterday Prospero