To besmear; bedraggle

(1939-) English writer. Her novels include The Millstone 1965, The Middle Ground 1980, The Radiant Way 1987, A Natural Curiosity 1989, and The Gates of Ivory 1991. She portrays contemporary life with toughness and sensitivity, often through the eyes of intelligent modern women. She edited the 1985 edition of the Oxford Companion to English Literature.