1889. Pall Mall Gaz., 23 Sept, 2, 1. "Lost ball!" was cried. . . . When, over-*head, supremely skied, I saw that awful ball descending.
1890. Globe, 7 May, 6, 1. It was skied at the Royal Academy last year.
2. (Harrow).—1. To charge, or knock down: at football. Also (2) to throw away.
If the sky falls we shall catch larks = a retort to a wild hypothesis: cf. 'if pigs had wings they'd be likely birds to fly.'
1654. Webster, Appius and Virginia [Dodsley, Old Plays (Reed), iv. 124]. If hap THE SKY-FALL, WE MAY hap to HAVE LARKS.
Sky-blue, subs. phr. (old).—1. Gin
(Grose).
1755. Connoisseur, No. 53. Madam Gin has been christened by as many names as a German princess: every petty chandler's shop will sell you Sky-blue.
2. (common).—Diluted or 'separated' milk.
1800. Bloomfield, Farmer's Boy. And strangers tell of three times skimmed SKY-BLUE.
d.1845. Hood, Retrospective Review. That mild sky-blue, That washed my sweet meals down.
1864. Sala, Quite Alone, xv. Cake and wine existed no more in her allure; she was suggestive only of bread and scrape and sky-blue.
Sky-farmer, subs. phr. (old).—See
quot.: Grose (1785).
1754. Disc. John Poulter, 39. Sky-farmers are People that go about the country with a false pass, signed by the Church Wardens and Overseers of the Parish or Place that they lived in, and some Justice of the Peace, but the Names are all forged; in this manner they extort money, under pretence of sustaining Loss by Fire, or the Distemper amongst the horned Cattle.
Skygazer, subs. (nautical).—A
skysail.
Sky-godlin, adv. (American).—Obliquely;
askew.
1869. Overland Monthly, iv. 128. He will run sky-godlin.
Sky-lantern, subs. phr. (old).—The
moon: see Oliver.
1843. Moncrieff, Scamps of London, i. 2. You won't want a light—you can see by the sky-lantern up above.
Skylark, subs. (common).—Originally
tricks in the rigging of
H. M. Navy; hence any rough-and-tumble
horseplay. As verb.
= to frolic, to play the fool;
skylarking = boisterous merriment
or fooling; and skylarker
= a practical joker.
1829. Marryat, Frank Mildmay, iv. I had become . . . so fond of displaying my newly acquired gymnastics, called by the sailors sky-larking, that my speedy exit was often prognosticated. Ibid. (1834), Peter Simple (1846), 1. 62. There was such bawling and threatening, laughing and crying . . . all squabbling or skylarking, and many of them drunk.
1835. Dana, Before the Mast, xvii. We . . . ran her chock up to the yard. 'Vast there! vast!' said the mate; 'none of your SKYLARKING!
1836. M. Scott, Cruise of Midge, 188. Come on deck, man—come on deck—this is no time for skylarking. Ibid. (1852), Tom Cringle's Log, iii. 'It's that sky-larking son of a gun, Jem Sparkle's monkey, sir.'
1855. C. Kingsley, Westward Ho, xviii. Lucky for them . . . they were not SKYLARKING.
1858. New York Courier. 'Election.' There was a considerable amount of skylarking carried on from sunset until midnight in the halls and passages of the building, hats were smashed, and members tumbled on the floor.
1863. Kingsley, Austin Elliot, iv. When his father wouldn't stand him any longer, he used to go out and skylark with the clerks.
