<B>skip tracer,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) an investigator whose job it is to locate persons who run off without paying their bills, debts, or other obligations. </DL>
<A NAME="skiptracing">
<B>skip-tracing, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) the work of a skip tracer. <BR> <I>Ex. Practically every store, financial institution and doctor's office does a certain amount of its own skip-tracing (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="skipvehicle">
<B>skip vehicle,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a space vehicle that is propelled into outer space at such trajectory and speed that, on its return to the upper atmosphere, it bounces back one or more times in the manner of a stone skipping across the surface of water. </DL>
<A NAME="skirl">
<B>skirl, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t., v.i. </I> <B>1a. </B>(of bagpipes) to sound loudly and shrilly. <DD><B> b. </B>to play a bagpipe. <BR> <I>Ex. An imposing 6-footer, the chief of Clan Fraser, he charged into battle in a green bonnet ... flanked by two skirling pipers (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to cry out shrilly; scream. <BR> <I>Ex. The womenfolk fair skirled wi' fear (James M. Barrie).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to sing or play in loud, shrill tones. <BR> <I>Ex. The grunting horns and syncopated strings, the skirling clarinets ... made a classical tour de force (Harper's).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> the sound of bagpipes or one like it. <BR> <I>Ex. the skirl of the grey sea-birds (Elizabeth C. Gaskell).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="skirmish">
<B>skirmish, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a brief fight between small groups. <BR> <I>Ex. The scouts of our army had a skirmish with a small group of the enemy. The boys had a skirmish over who would wear the cowboy hat.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>any slight conflict, argument, or contest. <BR> <I>Ex. Many and hot were the skirmishes on this topic (Charles Lamb).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to take part in a skirmish. <BR> <I>Ex. Some of his ships should skirmish with the enemy: but the great body of his fleet should not be risked (Macaulay).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="skirmisher">
<B>skirmisher, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who skirmishes. <BR> <I>Ex. Round its front played a crowd of skirmishers ... flying, reforming, shrieking insults (Rudyard Kipling).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>one of the soldiers sent out in advance of an army, as to clear the way for the main attack or prevent a surprise attack by the enemy. <BR> <I>Ex. Despite his vigilance, small details of skirmishers now and then infiltrate his prepared position successfully (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="skirmishline">
<B>skirmish line,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a line of skirmishers, thrown out, as to feel the enemy or protect the main body from unexpected attack. </DL>
<A NAME="skirr">
<B>skirr, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> to go or move rapidly; rush; fly; scurry. <BR> <I>Ex. And make them skirr away as swift as stones enforced from the old Assyrian slings (Shakespeare). The willow trees skirr and waver (Julian Symons).</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to go rapidly over; scour. <BR> <I>Ex. Mount ye, spur ye, skirr the plain, That the fugitive may flee in vain (Byron).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to throw with a rapid skimming motion. <DD><I>noun </I> a grating, rasping, or whirring sound. </DL>
<A NAME="skirret">
<B>skirret, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a plant of the parsley family, formerly much cultivated in Europe for its edible tubers that taste somewhat like turnips. </DL>
<A NAME="skirt">
<B>skirt, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a woman's or girl's outer garment that hangs from the waist. <BR> <I>Ex. The triangle flare skirt is fully lined ... to give it a majestic sweep from a tiny waist to the billowed hem (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the part of a dress that hangs from the waist. <DD><B> 3. </B><B>=petticoat.</B> <DD><B> 4. </B>something like a skirt. <BR> <I>Ex. the skirts of a man's long coat.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Slang.) a woman or girl. <BR> <I>Ex. She's as nice a looking skirt as there is in town (Sinclair Lewis).</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>(Figurative.) a border; edge. <BR> <I>Ex. The rabbits fed on the skirts of the field. ... a few heavy drops from the skirt of the passing cloud (Francis Parkman).</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>(Figurative.) the outer part of a place, group of people, or anything like it; outskirts. <BR> <I>Ex. The school is ... built right on the summer colony's skirts (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 8. </B>one of the flaps hanging from the sides of a saddle. <DD><B> 9. </B>(British.) a cut of beef from the flank. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to border; edge. <BR> <I>Ex. Those vast and trackless forests that skirted the settlements ... (Washington Irving).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to pass along the border, edge, or side of. <BR> <I>Ex. to skirt a swamp. The boys skirted the forest instead of going through it.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to be, lie, or live, along the border of. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) So is man's narrow path By strength and terror skirted (Emerson).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to pass along the border or edge. <BR> <I>Ex. to skirt around a swamp. Then I set off up the valley, skirting along one side of it (Richard D. Blackmore).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to be, lie, or live, along the border, as of a place. <BR> <I>Ex. A sandy desert ... skirts along the doubtful confine of Syria (Edward Gibbon).</I> noun <B>skirter.</B> adj. <B>skirtlike.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="skirtdancer">
<B>skirt dancer,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a woman who does skirt dancing. </DL>
<A NAME="skirtdancing">
<B>skirt dancing,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a form of ballet dancing in which the effect is produced by graceful movements of a long, full skirt, often manipulated by the hands of the dancer. </DL>
<A NAME="skirted">
<B>-skirted,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (combining form.) having a ______ skirt. <BR> <I>Ex. Short-skirted = having a short skirt.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="skirting">
<B>skirting, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>cloth for making skirts. <DD><B> 2. </B>(British.) a strip of masonry, wood, or other material, placed along the base of a wall; baseboard. <DD><B> 3. </B>the process of trimming the inferior parts of a fleece in wool manufacturing. <BR><I>expr. <B>skirtings,</B> </I>the trimmings or inferior parts of a fleece. <BR> <I>Ex. to separate skirtings.</I> </DL>
<B>skirtless, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having no skirt. <BR> <I>Ex. a skirtless coat.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>wearing no skirt. <BR> <I>Ex. Trousers, such as skirtless feminine bicyclists adopt (London Daily News).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="skirun">
<B>ski run,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a snow-covered slope or steep runway used by skiers. <BR> <I>Ex. Several ski runs cut through the forest (Atlantic).</I> </DL>
<B>skish, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a fisherman's game or sport in which bait-casting or fly-casting equipment is used to cast a plug or weight at a ring or other target from various distances. </DL>
<A NAME="skit">
<B>skit</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a short sketch that contains humor or satire. <BR> <I>Ex. a television skit. When we graduated the school newspaper had skits about each one of us.</I> (SYN) squib. </DL>
<B>skite</B> (2), verb, <B>skited,</B> <B>skiting,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Australian.) <DD><I>v.i. </I> to boast. <DD><I>noun </I> a boaster. </DL>
<A NAME="skitouring">
<B>ski touring,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> cross-country skiing. <BR> <I>Ex. Ski touring represents a return to the way people skied before skiing got fancy (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="skitow">
<B>ski tow,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a continuous rope on pulleys, kept moving by a motor, for pulling skiers to the top of a slope. <BR> <I>Ex. The city maintains two rinks, a toboggan run and a two-for-a-nickel ski tow (Maclean's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="skitrain">
<B>ski train,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a special train for skiers traveling to skiing resorts. </DL>
<A NAME="skitroops">
<B>ski troops,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> soldiers specially trained to fight and maneuver on skis, especially in northern or arctic areas. <BR> <I>Ex. The entire region surrounding the plant was patrolled by a regiment of ski troops (Maclean's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="skitter">
<B>skitter, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to move lightly or quickly; hurry about. <BR> <I>Ex. Motorscooters, ridden by sport-shirted youths, skittered among primitive horsemen in burnooses (Time).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to skim or skip along a surface. <BR> <I>Ex. ... the Concepcion was skittering downstream at about fifteen knots (Atlantic).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(U.S.) (in fishing) to draw a spoon or baited hook over the surface of water in a skipping motion. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to cause to skitter. <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S.) (in fishing) to draw in (a spoon or baited hook) over the surface of the water with a skipping motion. <DD><I>noun </I> a light skipping movement or the sound caused by this. <BR> <I>Ex. The slim shell trailed with dying headway to the skitter of the resting oars (Scribner's Magazine).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="skitterish">
<B>skitterish, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> moving lightly and quickly; skimming; skipping. </DL>
<A NAME="skittery">
<B>skittery, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>sliding; skidding; slippery. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) frightened; nervous; skittish. <BR> <I>Ex. He had an exercise boy take Hill Gail out to the track so that his admittedly skittery horse could get accustomed to all the noise (Newsweek).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="skittish">
<B>skittish, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>apt to start, jump, or run; easily frightened. <BR> <I>Ex. a skittish horse.</I> (SYN) excitable. <DD><B> 2. </B>fickle; changeable. <BR> <I>Ex. a skittish wind.</I> (SYN) capricious, volatile. <DD><B> 3. </B>difficult to manage; tricky. <BR> <I>Ex. a light, skittish boat.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>shy and timid; coy. <BR> <I>Ex. a skittish young girl.</I> (SYN) bashful, demure. adv. <B>skittishly.</B> noun <B>skittishness.</B> </DL>
