Dauby is an adjective that describes something that is smeared, smudged, or marked with small amounts of a substance such as paint, grease, or mud. Some synonyms for dauby include smudgy, grimy, smirched, stained, besmeared, soiled, and blotched. Depending on the context, other words like tarnished, corroded, or rusted may also be used. The word daub is often used in the context of painting, particularly when referring to the application of paint with a brush or other tool. However, dauby may also describe something that is simply dirty or marked in some other way, such as a piece of clothing that has been splattered with food or a floor that has been covered in mud.