skimmer 
(c) A stifi bar of iron used in a foundry to hold back the 
floating slag while pouring molten metal from the ladle. 
(d) One of several bivalves whose shells may be used to sk i i n 
milk, etc. (1) The common clam. Myft arenaria. (2) The 
bit? beach-clam, Mactra or Spisula solidissima. [Long 
Island.] (3) A scallop, as Pecten maximus. 
2. One who skims over a subject ; a .superficial 
student or reader. 
There are different degrees of skimmers; first, he who 
goes no farther than the title-page ; secondly, he who pro- 
ceeds to the contents and index, &c. 
P. Slteltan, Deism Revealed, viii. 
3. A bird that skims or shears the water, as any 
member of the genus Rliynchops; a cutwater, 
shearwater, or scissorbill. The American species is 
R. nigra, specified as the black skimmer, common on the 
South Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States and 
southward. It closely resembles a tern or sea-swallow, 
except in its bizarre bill. The upper parts are chiefly 
black, the lower white, with a rosy blush in the breeding- 
season ; the bill is carmine and black ; the feet are car- 
mine. The length is 16 to 20 inches, the extent 42 to 60 
inches ; the upper mandible is 3 inches, the lower 3J to 4J. 
See cut under Rhynchops. 
skimmer 2 (skim'er), i. i. [Freq. of skim.'] To 
skim lightly to and fro. [Bare.] 
Swallows skimmered over her, and plunged into the 
depths below. S. Jtidd, Margaret, i. 14. 
skimmerton (skim'er-ton), w. Same as skim- 
mington. 
Skimmia (skim'i-a), n. [NL (Thunberg, 1784), 
< Jap. skimmi, in mijama-skimmi, the Japanese 
name.] A genus of polypetalous shrubs, of 
the order Ruttwcse and tribe Toddaliese, charac- 
terized by flowers with four or five valvate 
petals, as many stamens, and a two- to five- 
celled ovary ripening into an ovoid fleshy drupe 
with two to four cartilaginous nutlets. There 
are about 4 species, natives of the Himalayas and Japan. 
They are smooth shrubs with green branches, bearing 
alternate lanceolate leaves which are entire, coriaceous, 
and pellucid-dotted. The odorless whitish flowers are ar- 
ranged in crowded and much- branched terminal panicles. 
S. Japonica, a dwarf holly-like shrub, is cultivated for the 
ornamental effect of its dark shining leaves and clusters 
of bright-red berry-like drupes. 
Skim-milk (skim'milk'), n. Milk from which 
the cream has been skimmed; hence, figura- 
tively, that which lacks substantial quality, as 
richness or strength ; thinness ; inferiority. 
0, 1 could divide myself and go to buffets, for moving 
such a dish of skim milk with so honourable an action ! 
Shak., 1 Hen. IV., ii. 3. 36. 
Skimming (skim/ing), w. [Verbal n. of skim, r.] 
1. The act of one who or that which skims. 
2. That which is removed by skimming ; scum : 
chiefly used in the plural. 
They relished the very skimmings of thekettle, and dregs 
of the casks. Cook, Second Voyage, i. 7. 
3. pi. In the coffee trade, the musty part of the 
coffee which is taken from the bags after being 
on shipboard. 
skimming-dish (skim'ing-dish), n. A yacht- 
built boat used on the Florida coast, o'f flat- 
iron model, cat- or sloop-rigged, and very wet. 
J. A. Henshall. 
Skimming-gate (skim 'ing-gat), . In found- 
ing. See qate^, 5. 
skimmingiy (skim'ing-li), adv. By moving 
lightly along or over the surface. Imp. Diet. 
skimmington (skim'ing-ton), . [Also skim- 
ington, skimmerton, skimitry; supposed to have 
originated in the name of some forgotten 
scold.] 1. A burlesque procession formerly 
held in ridicule of a henpecked husband; a 
cavalcade headed by a person on horseback 
representing the wife, with another represent- 
ing the husband seated behind her, facing 
the horse's tail and holding a distaff, while the 
woman belabored him with a ladle. These were 
followed by a crowd, hooting and making " rough music " 
with horns, pans, and cleavers. The word commonly 
appears in the phrase to ride (the) skimmington. Com- 
pare the north-country custom of riding the stana. [Local, 
Eng.] 
When I'm in pomp on high processions shown, 
Like pageants of lord may'r, or skimmington. 
Oldham, Satires (1685). (Nares.) 
The Skimmington ... has been long discontinued in 
England, apparently because female rule has become either 
milder or less frequent than among our ancestors. 
Scott, Fortunes of Nigel, xxl., note. 
2. A disturbance ; a riot; a quarrel. 
There was danger of a skimmington between the great 
wig and the coif, the former having given a flat lie to the 
latter. Walpole, Letters (1763), I. 289. (Dairies.) 
S. A charivari. [Local, U. S.] 
skim-net (skim'net), n. A large dip-net, used 
on the Potomac and some rivers southward. 
skimp (skimp), f. [A var. or secondary form 
of scampi (cf. crimp, cramp*).] I. trans" I. To 
deal scant measure to ; supply with a meager 
or insufficient allowance : as. to skimp a person 
5672 
in the matter of food. 2. To provide in scant 
or insufficient quantity ; give or deal out spar- 
ingly; stint: as, to skimp cloth or food. 3. 
To scamp; slight; do superficially or careless- 
ly : as, to skimp a job. 
II. intrtdix. 1. To be sparing or parsimoni- 
ous; economize; save. 
The woman who has worked and schemed and skimped 
to achieve her attire knows the real pleasure and victory 
of self-adornment. E. Eggleston, The Graysons, xix. 
2. To scamp work. [Colloq. in all use*.] 
skimp (skimp), a. [< skimp, r.] Scant in quan- 
tity or extent; scarcely sufficient; meager; 
spare: as, skimp tare; a skimp outfit. [Prov. 
Eng. and U. S.] 
Skimping (skim'ping), p. n. 1. Sparing; stint- 
ing; saving. Sri- A-/, ///), r. 2. Scanty; mea- 
ger ; containing insufficient material : as, a 
A-/, imping dress. Halliirell. 3. Scamped; exe- 
cuted carelessly or in a slighting manner. [Col- 
loq. in all senses.] 
The work was not skimping work by any means ; it was 
a bridge of some pretentions. 
J. S. Brewer, English Studies, p. 444. (Encyc. Diet.) 
skimpingly (skim'ping-li), adv. In a skimp- 
ing manner; scantily; sparingly. Bulwer,My 
Novel, iii. 15. 
skimpings (skim'pingz), n. pi. [Verbal n. of 
skimp, v.] In mining, the refuse taken from 
the top of the sieve in jigging, tozing, or chim- 
ming. 
skimpy ( skim ' pi ) , a . [ < ski mp + -y 1 . ] Spare ; 
scanty; skimped. [Colloq., U. S.] 
The woman . . . took oft her bonnet, showing her gray 
hair drawn into a skimpy knot at the back of her head. 
I/, ff. Hurfree, Prophet of Great Smoky Mountains, iv. 
skimshander (skim'shan-der), v. Same as 
scrimshaw. 
skin (skin), n. [< ME. skhi, skinne, skynne, < 
AS. scinn (rare), < Icel. skinn = Sw. skinn = 
Dan. skind = LG. schin, schinn = OHG. "scind, 
skin, hide (the OHG. form not recorded, but the 
source of OHG. scintan, scindan, MHG. G. schin- 
den, skin, flay, sometimes a strong verb, with 
pret. sehant, pp. geschundeti : see skin, v.); per- 
haps akin to shin, q. v. Cf. also W. cen, skin, 
peel, scales, ysgen, dandruff.] 1. In anat. and 
zool., the continuous covering of an animal; 
the cutaneous investment of the body ; the in- 
tegument, cutis, or derm, especially when soft 
Semi-diagrammatic Vertical Section of Human Skin, magnified. 
A, stratum corneum ; B, stratum lucidum ; C, stratum graiiulosum ; 
U, stratum spinosum ; E, corium with papilla; ; F, subcutaneous fat ; 
C, tactile corpuscles ; H, sebaceous gland ; I, duct of sebaceous eland ; 
J, Pacinian corpuscles : K. shaft of hair ; L, root-sheath of hair ; M, 
rootofhair; N,arrector pili muscle ; O, duct of sweat-gland ; p. sweat- 
gland ; Q, blood-vessels. 
and flexible, a hard or rigid skin being called a 
shell, test, exoskeleton, etc. Skin ordinarily con- 
sists of two main divisions or layers : (1) the corium be- 
low, a connective-tissue layer, which is vascular, nervous, 
provided with glands, and is never shed, cast, or molted ; 
(2) the non-vascular epidermis, superficially forming vari- 
ous epidermal or exoskeletal structures, as hair, feathers, 
hoofs, nails, claws, etc., of more or less dry and hard or 
horny texture, and either continuously shed in scales and 
shreds, or periodically molted wholly or in part. See the 
above technical words, and cuts under hairl, 1, and sweat- 
gland. 
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his 
spots? Jer. xiii. 23. 
I'll not shed her blood ; 
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, 
And smooth as monumental alabaster. 
Shak., Othello, v. 2. 4. 
Soon a wrinkled Skin plump Flesh invades ! 
Congreve, tr. of Ovid's Art of Love. 
skin 
2. The integument of an animal stripped from 
the body, with or without its appendages; a 
hide, pelt, or fur, either raw and green, or vari- 
ously cured, dressed, or tanned. In the trades and 
in commerce the term is applied only to the skins of the 
smaller animals, the skins of the larger animals being 
called hides: thus, an ox-hide, a goabuftn, cow/tide hoots, 
calfsfrm shoes, etc. See cut under hide. 
A serpent skynne doon on this tree men lete 
Avayfant be to save it in greet hete. 
Palladium, Hushondrie (E. E. T. S.>, p. 211. 
Robes of buffalo and beaver, 
Skins of otter, lynx, and ermine. 
Longfellow, Hiawatha, xvi. 
3. In museums, the outer covering of an ani- 
mal, preserved for examination or exhibition 
with the fur, feathers, etc., but riot mounted or 
set up in imitation of life. 4. A water-vessel 
made of the whole or nearly the whole skin of 
a goat or other beast ; a wine-skin. See cut un- 
der botlle. 
No man putteth new wine Into old wlne-K>w : else the 
wine will burst the skins, and the wine perlsheth, and the 
skint. Markii. 22 (R. V.). 
5. That which resembles skin in nature or use ; 
the outer coat or covering of anything; espe- 
cially, the exterior coating or layer of any sub- 
stance when firmer or tougher than the inte- 
rior; a rind or peel: as, the skin of fruit or 
plants; the skin (putamen) of an egg. 
We at time of year 
Do wound the bark, the skin of our fruit-trees. 
Shale., Rich. II., iii. 4. 58. 
These blanks [for flies] are now . . . soft and free from 
scale, or what Is known as the skin of the steel. 
Sci. Amur., N. S., LXIII. 38. 
6. Naut. : (a) That part of a furled sail which 
is on the outside and covers the whole. (6) 
The planking or iron plating which covers the 
ribs of a vessel on the inside ; also, the thin 
plating on the outer side of the ribs of an ar- 
mor-plated iron ship. 
The [lif e-Jboat has two distinct Man of planking, diag- 
onal to the boat's keel and contrary to each other. 
Encyc. Brit., XIV. 671. 
7. A mean, stingy person; a skinflint. [Slang.] 
Occasionally he would refer to the president of the Off- 
shore Wrecking Company, his former employer, as that 
skin. The Century, XXXIX. 227. 
8. A hot punch of whisky made in the glass ; a 
whisky-skin. [Slang.] By or with the skin of 
one's teeth, against great odds; by very slight chances 
in one's favor ; narrowly ; barely. 
I am escaped with the skin o/ tny teeth. Job \ i \ . 20. 
Clean-skins, wild cattle that have never been branded. 
Compare maverick. [Australia.] 
These clean xkins, as they are often called to distinguish 
them from the branded cattle, are supposed to belong to 
the cattle-owner on whose run they emerge from their 
shelter. .1. C. Grant, Bush Life in Queensland, I. 206. 
Gold-beaters' skin. See gold beater. Hyson skin. See 
hyson. In or with a Whole skin, without bodily injury ; 
hence, with impunity. 
He had resolv'd that day 
To sleep in a whole skin. 
Marquis of Hunttey't Jletreat (Child's Ballads, VII. 271). 
Papillae of the skin. See papula. Pupilary skin-re- 
flex. See reflex. Skin book, a book written on skin or 
parchment. [Rare and affected.] 
Seinte Marherete, the Meiden ant Martyr, in old Eng- 
lish. First Edited from the Skin Books in 1862. 
Seinte Marherete (ed. Cockayne), Title. 
To save one's skin, to come off without injury ; escape 
bodily harm. 
We meet with many of these dangerous civilities, wherein 
'tis hard for a man to save both his skin and his credit. 
Sir R. L'Estrange. 
White skin, a technical name for the white leather largely 
used for lining boots and shoes. Syn. 1, 2, and 5. Skin, 
Hide, Pelt. Kind, Peel, Husk, Hull. Skin is the general 
word for the external covering or tissue of an animal, in- 
cluding man, and for coatings of fruits, especially such 
coatings as are thin, as of apples. Hide applies especially 
to the skin of large domestic animals, as horses and oxen. 
Pelt is an untanned skin of a beast with the hair on. Rind 
is used somewhat generally of the bark of trees, the natu- 
ral covering of fruit, etc. Peel is the skin or rind of a fruit, 
which is easily removable by peeling off : as, orange-peel ; 
the peel of a banana. Hunk is an easily removable integu- 
ment of certain plants, especially Indian corn. A hull is 
generally smaller than a husk, perhaps less completely cov- 
ering the fruit : as, strawbetry-Au/fe; raspberjy-Awtts. 
skin (skin), v.; pret. and pp. skinned, ppr. skin- 
ning. [<.skin,n.] I. Irons. 1. To provide with 
skin; cover as with a skin. 
It will but skin and film the ulcerous place. 
Shak., Hamlet, iii. 4. 147. 
Really, by the side of Sir James, he looks like a death's 
head skinned over for the occasion. 
George Eliot, Middlemarch, x. 
2. To strip the skin from ; flay ; peel. 
Prince Geraint. . . . dismounting like a man 
That skins the wild beast after slaying him, 
Stript from the three dead wolves of woman born 
The three gay suits of armour which they wore. 
Tennyson, Geraint. 
