1818. Scott, Rob Roy, iv. I give my vote and interest to Jonathan Brown, our landlord, to be the King and Prince of skinkers, conditionally that he fetches us another bottle as good as the last.
1831. Lamb, Satan in Search of a Wife, II. xxvii. No Hebe fair stood cup-bearer there, The guests were their own SKINKERS.
1847. Halliwell, Arch. Words, s.v. Skink. In a family the person latest at breakfast is called the skink, or the skinker, and some domestic office is imposed or threatened for the day, such as ringing the bell, putting coal on the fire, or in other cases, drawing the beer for the family.
1852. Hawthorne, Blithedale Romance, 245. Some old-fashioned skinkers and drawers were spreading a banquet on the leaf-strewn earth.
Skin-merchant, subs. phr. (old).—A
recruiting officer.
1783. Burgoyne, Lord of the Manor, iii. 2. I am a manufacturer of honour and glory—vulgarly call'd a recruiting dealer, or more vulgarly still, a skin-merchant.
Skinned-rabbit, subs. phr. (colloquial).—A
very spare person.
Skinner. 1. See Skin.
2. (sporting).—A bird fat enough to burst its skin when shot.
Skin-of-the-Creature (or
CRATER), subs. phr. (Irish).—A
bottle: see Creature.
Skin-the-lamb, subs. phr. (old).—Lansquenet:
see also Skin,
verb. 1.
Skin-the-pizzle. subs. phr.
(venery).—The female pudendum:
see Monosyllable.
Skintight, subs, (common).—A
sausage.
Skintling, adv. (American).—See
quot.
18[?]. Science [Century]. [The bricks] are carried in wheelbarrows, and set skintling, or at right angles across each other.
Skip, subs, (old).—1. A footman;
a grasshopper (q.v.). Whence
spec. 2 (Trin. Coll., Dublin), a
college servant: cf. gyp and
SCOUT. Also SKIPKENNEL (B.
E. and Grose).
1672. A. Brome, Covent Garden Drollery. The prizes they took were a Londoner's groat, A gentleman's size, but his skipkennel's pot.
1703. Ward, London Spy, vii. 151. As a Courtier's Footman when he meets his Brother skip in the middle of Covent Garden.
d.1704. Brown, Works, ii. 120. Pluto's skipkennels are not so insolent as yours are.
1721. Amhurst, Terræ Fillius. No. Z. Every scullion and skipkennel had liberty to tell his master his own.
1729. Swift, Directions to Servants, 'Footman.' My lady's waiting-woman . . . apt to call you skip-kennel.
1839. Lever, Harry Lorrequer, xi. Conducting himself in all respects . . . as his . . . own man, skip, valet, or flunkey.
1842. Tait's Mag., Oct., 'Rem. College Life.' The skip, or according to the Oxford etymology, 'the man vulture,' is not fit for his calling who cannot time his business so as to be present simultaneously at several places.
1845. Thackeray, Pendennis, xx. His wounded tutor, his many duns, the skip and bedmaker who waited on him.
Verb, (common).—1. To de-*camp: see Bunk. Also to skip out (or off), and to do a skip.
1872. Clemens, Roughing It, ix. The Indian had skipped around so's to spile everything.
1888. Detroit Free Press, 19 Dec. I knew he was getting ready to skip out of town the moment he saw the jig was up.
1889. Ally Sloper, 29 June. This base myrmidon of the law endeavoured to execute his task just as Andrew was about to lead a second bouncing bride to the altar. But Andrew espied him and quietly SKIPPED.
