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 1599. Jonson, Ev. Man Out of Humour. His profession is skeldering and odling. Ibid. (1601), Poetaster, iii. 4. A man may skelder ye now and then of half a dozen shillings or so. Ibid. i. There was the mad skeldering captain that presses every man he meets, with an oath to lend him money.

1609. Dekker, Gulls Horne-Booke, v. If he be poore, he shall now and then light upon some Gull or other, whom he may skelder (after the gentile fashion) of mony.

1611. Middleton and Dekker, Roaring Girl, v. 1. Soldiers? You skeldering varlets!

1633. Marmion, Fine Companion. Wandring abroad to skelder for a shilling Amongst your bowling alleys.

1773. Hawkins, Orig. Eng. Drama, iii. 119. If skeldring fall not to decay, thou shalt flourish.

1823. Scott, Peveril, xxxviii. She hath many a thousand stitched to her petticoat; such a wife would save thee from skeldering on the public.

Skeleton. A skeleton in the CUPBOARD (LOCKER, CLOSET, HOUSE), subs. phr. (colloquial).—A secret source of trouble, fear, or annoyance. Fr. un cadavre.

1855. Thackeray, Newcomes, xvii. Barnes' Skeleton Closet [Title].

Skellum (or Scellum), subs. (Old Cant).—A rascal: a vagabond: cf. Skelder.

1611. Coryat, Crudities. He longs for sweet grapes, but going to steale 'em, He findeth soure graspes and gripes from a Dutch skelum.

1630. Taylor, Works, ii. 123. None hold him, but all cry, Lope, scellum, lope!

1663. Pepys, Diary, 3 Ap. He ripped up Hugh Peters (calling him the execrable skellum), his preaching stirred up the maids of the city to bring their bodkins and thimbles.

1690. Pagan Prince. Let me send that skellum to perdition.

1719. Durfey, Pills, i. 210. Now to leave off writing, Skellums pine and grieve, When we're next for Fighting We'll not ask you leave.

1791. Burns, Tam o'Shanter. She tauld thee weel thou wast a skellum, A blethering, blustering, drunken blellum.

Skelper, subs. (provincial).—Anything big or striking: see Spanker and Whopper. [Skelp = a blow, and as verb. to strike.]

Skelter. See Helter-skelter.

Skensmadam, subs. (provincial).—A show dish, sometimes real, sometimes sham.

Skerfer, subs. (pugilists').—A blow on the neck.

Sket, subs. (thieves').—A skeleton-key.

SKEVINGTON'S - DAUGHTER (or (-irons). See Scavenger's-DAUGHTER.

Skew, subs. (Old Cant).—1. 'A Begger's Wooden Dish or Cup' (B. E. and Grose).

1641. Brome, Jovial Crew, ii. This is Bien Bowse Too little is my skew.

1754. Song [Scoundrels' Dict.]. To thy Bugher and thy Skew, Filch and Jybes, I bid adieu.

2. (Harrow).—An entrance examination at the end of term: that at the commencement is the 'dab,' after which there is no further chance; a shaky candidate tries the dab first. As verb. = to turn back, to fail.

Skewer, subs. (American).—1. A sword. Hence, as verb. = (1) to run through; and (2) to impose on.

1848. Durivage, Stray Subjects, 147. Our enterprising journal, which had purchased the news, in company with its sharp friends, had been skewered.

2. (common).—A pen. Fr. une griffarde (or griffonante).