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Skirling

A small trout or salmon; -- a name used loosely.

Skirmish

A slight fight in war; a light or desultory combat between detachments from armies, or between detached and small bodies of troops.

Skirmisher

One who skirmishes. Soldiers deployed in loose order, to cover the front or flanks of an advancing army or a marching column.

Skirret

An umbelliferous plant (Sium Sisarum syn. Pimpinella Sisarum). It is a native of Asia, but has been long cultivated in Europe for its edible clustered tuberous roots, which are very sweet.

Skirt

To be on the border; to live near the border, or extremity.

Skit

A reflection; a jeer or gibe; a sally; a brief satire; a squib.

Skitter

To pass or glide lightly or with quick touches at intervals; to skip; to skim.

Skittish

Easily frightened; timorous; shy; untrustworthy; as, a skittish colt.

Skittle

Pertaining to the game of skittles.

Skittles

An English game resembling ninepins, but played by throwing wooden disks, instead of rolling balls, at the pins.

Skitty

A rail; as, the water rail (called also skitty cock, and skitty coot); the spotted crake (Porzana maruetta), and the moor hen.

Skive

To pare or shave off the rough or thick parts of (hides or leather).

Skiver

An inferior quality of leather, made of split sheepskin, tanned by immersion in sumac, and dyed. It is used for hat linings, pocketbooks, bookbinding, etc.

Skiving

The act of paring or splitting leather or skins.

Skopje

The capital city of the Republic of Macedonia, population 448,229./ Skopje is modern city, but it is at the same time an ancient city with deep roots in the past and with a rich history. During the Roman period it was known under the name of Scupi. Later the town acquired its Slav name of Skopje. Skopje experienced a swift development after World War II. This trend was interrupted in 1963 when it was hit by a disastrous eartquake. Thanks to the solidarity of the whole world, Skopje was quickly renewed and rebuilt. Today Skopje is the political, economic, cultural and academic center of Macedonia (he Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. See also Macedonia{2}.

Skua

Any jager gull; especially, the Megalestris skua; -- called also boatswain.

Skulk

A number of foxes together.

Skull

The skeleton of the head of a vertebrate animal, including the brain case, or cranium, and the bones and cartilages of the face and mouth. See Illusts. of Carnivora, of Facial angles under Facial, and of Skeleton, in Appendix.

Skullcap

A cap which fits the head closely; also, formerly, a headpiece of iron sewed inside of a cap for protection.

Skullfish

A whaler's name for a whale more than two years old.

Skunk

In games of chance and skill: To defeat (an opponent) (as in cards) so that he fails to gain a point, or (in checkers) to get a king.

Skunkhead

The surf duck. A duck (Camptolaimus Labradorus) which formerly inhabited the Atlantic coast of New England. It is now supposed to be extinct. Called also Labrador duck, and pied duck.

Skunkish

Like the skunk, especially in odor.

Skute

A boat; a small vessel.

Skutterudite

A mineral of a bright metallic luster and tin-white to pale lead-gray color. It consists of arsenic and cobalt.

Sky

To hang (a picture on exhibition) near the top of a wall, where it can not be well seen.

Sky-blue

Having the blue color of the sky; azure; as, a sky-blue stone.

Skyey

Like the sky; ethereal; being in the sky.

Skyish

Like the sky, or approaching the sky; lofty; ethereal.

Skylark

A lark that mounts and sings as it files, especially the common species (Alauda arvensis) found in Europe and in some parts of Asia, and celebrated for its melodious song; -- called also sky laverock. See under Lark.

Skylarking

The act of running about the rigging of a vessel in sport; hence, frolicking; scuffing; sporting; carousing.

Skylight

A window placed in the roof of a building, in the ceiling of a room, or in the deck of a ship, for the admission of light from above.

skyrocket

To rise rapidly; -- usually used figuratively, as of prices.

Skysail

The sail set next above the royal. See Illust. under Sail.

Skyscraper

A skysail of a triangular form. A name for the one of the fancy sails alleged to have been sometimes set above the skysail. A very tall building, especially one over 20 stories high. Hence, anything usually large, high, or excessive.

Slab

That which is slimy or viscous; moist earth; mud; also, a puddle.

Slab-sided

Having flat sides; hence, tall, or long and lank.

Slabber

A saw for cutting slabs from logs. A slabbing machine.

Slabberer

One who slabbers, or drools; hence, an idiot.

Slabbery

Like, or covered with, slabber or slab; slippery; sloppy.

Slabbing

Adapted for forming slabs, or for dressing flat surfaces.

Slack

The part of anything that hangs loose, having no strain upon it; as, the slack of a rope or of a sail.

Slacken

A spongy, semivitrifled substance which miners or smelters mix with the ores of metals to prevent their fusion.

Slacken Slack

To render slack; to make less tense or firm; as, to slack a rope; to slacken a bandage.

Slackness

The quality or state of being slack.

Slade

A little dell or valley; a flat piece of low, moist ground.

Slag

To form, or form into, a slag; to agglomerate when heated below the fusion point.

Slaggy

Of or pertaining to slag; resembling slag; as, slaggy cobalt.

Slaie

A weaver's reed; a sley.

Slake

To go out; to become extinct.

Slam

The act of one who, or that which, slams.

Slam-bang

With great violence; with a slamming or banging noise.

Slander

To defame; to injure by maliciously uttering a false report; to tarnish or impair the reputation of by false tales maliciously told or propagated; to calumniate.

Slanderer

One who slanders; a defamer; a calumniator.

Slanderous

Given or disposed to slander; uttering slander.

Slang

To address with slang or ribaldry; to insult with vulgar language.

Slangy

Of or pertaining to slang; of the nature of slang; disposed to use slang.

Slank

imp. p. p. of Slink.

Slant

Inclined from a direct line, whether horizontal or perpendicular; sloping; oblique.

Slap

With a sudden and violent blow; hence, quickly; instantly; directly.

Slapdash

To apply, or apply something to, in a hasty, careless, or rough manner; to roughcast; as, to slapdash mortar or paint on a wall, or to slapdash a wall.

Slape

Slippery; smooth; crafty; hypocritical.

Slapjack

A flat batter cake cooked on a griddle; a flapjack; a griddlecake.

Slapper

One who, or that which, slaps.

Slash

A long cut; a cut made at random.

Slashed

Marked or cut with a slash or slashes; deeply gashed; especially, having long, narrow openings, as a sleeve or other part of a garment, to show rich lining or under vesture.

Slasher

A machine for applying size to warp yarns.

Slat

To slap; to strike; to beat; to throw down violently.

Slatch

The period of a transitory breeze. An interval of fair weather. The loose or slack part of a rope; slack.

Slate

To set a dog upon; to bait; to slat. See 2d Slat, 3.

Slater

Any terrestrial isopod crustacean of the genus Porcellio and allied genera; a sow bug.

Slating

The act of covering with slate, slates, or a substance resembling slate; the work of a slater.

Slatt

A slab of stone used as a veneer for coarse masonry.

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