<B>skim, </B>verb, <B>skimmed,</B> <B>skimming,</B> noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to remove from the top. <BR> <I>Ex. Mother skims the fat from her homemade soup.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to take something from the top of. <BR> <I>Ex. She skims the soup to remove most of the fat.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to move lightly over. <BR> <I>Ex. gulls skimming the water. The pebble I threw skimmed the little waves. The skaters skimmed the ice.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to cause to fly lightly; send skimming. <BR> <I>Ex. You can skim a flat stone over the water.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to read hastily; read with omissions. <BR> <I>Ex. It took me an hour to skim the book.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>to cover with a thin layer such as of ice or scum. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to move lightly (over or through). <BR> <I>Ex. skaters skimming over the ice, to skim through the newspaper headlines.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to glide along. <BR> <I>Ex. The swallows were skimming by.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to become covered as with a thin layer of ice or scum. <BR> <I>Ex. The pond skimmed over with ice during the night.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>something which is skimmed off. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=skim milk.</B> <DD><B> 3. </B>a skimming or moving lightly. <DD><I>adj. </I> skimmed. </DL>
<A NAME="skimask">
<B>ski mask,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a head covering of knitted material, with holes for the eyes and mouth, used by skiers to protect the face from the wind and cold. </DL>
<A NAME="skimbleskamble">
<B>skimble-skamble</B> or <B>skimble-scamble, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) <DD><I>adj. </I> rambling; confused; silly. <BR> <I>Ex. Such a deal of skimble-scamble stuff, as puts me from my faith (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> nonsense; gabble. </DL>
<A NAME="skimmedmilk">
<B>skimmed milk,</B> <B>=skim milk.</B></DL>
<A NAME="skimmer">
<B>skimmer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person or thing that skims. <DD><B> 2. </B>a shallow ladle, full of holes, with a long handle. It is used in skimming liquids. <DD><B> 3. </B>a kind of sea bird that skims the surface of the water to get food; scissorbill. The skimmers comprise a family of birds, related to the gulls. <DD><B> 4. </B>a man's or woman's straw hat with a flat crown and wide brim. <BR> <I>Ex. Not since the heyday of the Homburg and the skimmer have hat makers had so much to be happy about (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(U.S.) a simply cut dress with straight lines, often sleeveless and with a round neck. <BR> <I>Ex. A dress that could be all things to all women is a skimmer ... of flannel with small sleeves (New York Times).</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>any one of various clams or scallops. <BR> <I>Ex. We ... watched Olaf [the walrus] munch some skimmer clams and herring out of a pail (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="skimmilk">
<B>skim milk,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> milk from which the cream has been removed. </DL>
<A NAME="skimming">
<B>skimming, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of one that skims. <DD><B> 2. </B>that which is skimmed off. <BR> <I>Ex. greasy skimmings from soup.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the practice of concealing a part of the winnings of a gambling casino to avoid paying taxes. <BR><I>expr. <B>skimmings,</B> </I>(Metallurgy.) dross. </DL>
<A NAME="skimmingdish">
<B>skimming dish,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>a shallow dish used in skimming liquids; skimmer. <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative:) <BR> <I>Ex. The adherents of the inexplicable ... hinted that their antagonists were mere skimming dishes in point of depth (George Eliot).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a kind of shallow sailboat or speedboat. </DL>
<A NAME="skimmington">
<B>skimmington, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a burlesque procession or serenade formerly held in ridicule of a henpecked husband, common in villages and country districts of England. <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S. Dialect.) a mock serenade for newly married persons; shivaree. </DL>
<A NAME="skimo">
<B>Skimo, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Canadian Slang.) an Eskimo (used in an unfriendly way). </DL>
<A NAME="skimobile">
<B>skimobile, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a small automobile running on tracks, for carrying skiers to the top of a slope. </DL>
<A NAME="skimp">
<B>skimp, </B>verb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to supply in too small an amount. <BR> <I>Ex. Don't skimp the butter in making a cake.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to do imperfectly. <BR> <I>Ex. The lazy boy skimped his job.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to be very saving or economical. <BR> <I>Ex. She had to skimp to send her daughter to college.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to do something imperfectly. <BR> <I>Ex. He was always skimping on his assignments.</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> scanty; skimpy. adv. <B>skimpingly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="skimpy">
<B>skimpy, </B>adjective, <B>skimpier,</B> <B>skimpiest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>not enough; scanty. <BR> <I>Ex. a skimpy bathing suit. He got hungry in the afternoon after a skimpy lunch.</I> (SYN) meager. <DD><B> 2. </B>too saving or economical. (SYN) parsimonious. adv. <B>skimpily.</B> noun <B>skimpiness.</B> </DL>
