expression, ichidan verb
suffer a crushing defeat; be utterly defeated
A literary or formal expression for a complete and humiliating defeat, often used in historical or dramatic contexts. The image is of being covered in the dust of the battlefield.
名将も一敗地に塗れることがある。
Even a great commander can suffer a crushing defeat.
A classical Chinese-derived expression (一敗塗地) that entered Japanese. Literally 'one defeat and the ground is smeared (with one's blood/dust)', it paints a picture of total ruin on the battlefield. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it has been used in Japanese literature for centuries.