Skim, subs. (thieves').—See quot.
1869. Daily News, 29 July, 'Police Reports.' They thought it contained his skim (money). They took down the bag without wakening him, and found that, instead of skim, the parcel contained two revolvers.
Skimble-skamble, subs., adj.,
and adv. (old colloquial).—Rigmarole,
nonsense; wandering,
confused; incoherently.
1598. Shakspeare, 1 Hen. IV., iii. 1, 154. Such a deal of skimble-skamble stuff.
1630. Taylor, Works, Desc. of a Wanton. Here's a sweet deal of scimble-scamble stuff.
Skimmery, subs. (Oxford Univ.).
St. Mary's Hall.
1853. Bradley, Verdant Green, viii. I swopped the beggar to a skimmeryman.
1860. G. and P. Wharton, Wits and Beaux of Society, 427. After leaving Westminster School he was sent to immortal Skimmery, Oxford.
Skimmington, subs. (old).—1. See
quots: also to ride the skimmington
(or [Scots'] the
stang). [For a long description
see Butler, Hudibras, II. ii.
585.] Hence (2) a row, a quarrel.
1562. Stowe's London [Strype], B. ii, 258. Shrove Monday at Charing Cross was a man carried of four men, and before him a bagpipe playing, a shawm, and a drum beating, and twenty men with links burning round about him. The cause was his next neighbour's wife beat her husband; it being so ordered that the next should ride about to expose her.
1685. Oldham, Satyrs. When I'm in pomp on high processions shown, Like pageants of lord may'r, or skimmington.
1753. Walpole, Letters, i. 289. There was danger of a skimmington between the great wig and the coif, the former having given a flat lie to the latter.
1785. Gross, Vulgar Tongue, s.v. Riding skimmington. A ludicrous cavalcade, in ridicule of a man beaten by his wife. A man behind a woman, face to horse's tail, distaff in hand, which he seems to work, the woman beating him with a ladle; a smock on a staff is carried before them denoting female superiority. They are accompanied by rough music, frying pans, bull's horns, marrowbones and cleavers, &c.—Abridged.
1822. Scott, Fortunes of Nigel, xxi. Note. The skimmington has been long discontinued in England.
1865. Exeter Police Report, 9 Sep. Summary justice had been done by a skimmington match [sic], on two married persons, whose ill and faithless example had scandalised the neighbourhood.
Skimp, verb. (colloquial).—To
stint; to scamp (q.v.). As adj.
= insufficient, meagre; skimping
(or skimpy) = scanty, carelessly
made, slightingly treated.
1864. Sun, 28 Dec., Review Hotten's Slang Dict. Mr. Hotten has made no mention of a dress that is describable as skimpy.
1879. Brewer, Eng. Studies, 444. The work was not skimping work by any means.
1885. Craddock, Proph. Gt. Smoky Mountains, iv. Grey hair drawn into a skimpy knot at the back of the head.
1888. Eggleston, Graysons, xix. The woman who has . . . schemed and skimped to achieve her attire knows the real pleasure and victory of self-adornment.
Skimshander. See Scrimshaw.
Skin, subs. (old).—1. A purse; a
pocket-book; any receptacle for
money. Thus A queer skin =
an empty purse; frisk the
skin = 'clean him out' (Grose
and Vaux).
1821. Haggart, Life, 15. Young McGuire had taken some skins with a few shillings in each.
1852. Judson, Myst. of New York, vii. The offisare ave frisk me; he ave not found ze skin or ze dummy, eh?
1856. Mayhew, Gt. World of London, iii. The London buzman can keep his pony by abstracting skins from gentlemen's pockets.
2. (old).—A sovereign; 20/-: see Rhino.
