skirret 
skirret (skir'et), . 
appar. a mutilated 
form, prop. *sitgar- 
root (ME. *sttcre- 
rot = Sw. socker-rot, 
skirret) or sitt/tir- 
wort (MD. smjck- 
cr-wortel, D. suiker- 
wortel = G. eucker- 
wurzel, skirret).] A 
species of water- 
parsnip, Slum Sisa- 
//, generally said 
to be of Chinese 
origin, long culti- 
vated in Europe for 
its esculent root. 
It is a plant a foot high 
with pinnate leaves, a 
hardy perennial, but 
grown as an annual. 
The root is composed of 
small fleshy tubers, of 
the size of the little fin- 
ger, united at the crown. 
[< ME. skyriryt. xkerici/fli : 
contraction or borrowed 
A similar vein of siitirenpon the emptiness of writers is 
given in his Tritical Essay upon the Faculties of the Hu- 
man Mind ; but that is a mere licit compared with this 
strange performance. Leslie Stephen, Swift, ix. 
2. Banter; jeer. 
But I canna think it, Mr. Glossin ; this will be some o' 
your skits now. Scott, Guy Jlunnering, xxxii. 
Skirret (Stu 
5676 skittle 
Savages . . . who skirt along our western frontiers. 
S. S. Smith. 
And then I set off up the valley, skirting along one side 
of it. 7f. D. Blackmore, Lorna Doone, xliv. 
2. Specifically, in hunting, to go round hedges 
and gates instead of jumping over or breaking 
through : said of a man or dog. 
skirt'-' (skert), r. t. and i. A dialectal form of skit 2 (skit), v. t. [< skit*, .] To cast reflec- 
squirt. Halliwell. tipns on; asperse. Grose. [Prov. Eng.] 
Skirt-braid (skert'brad), M. Woolen braid for skit 3 (skit), , [Origin obscure.] The skitty, 
binding or edging the bottom of a skirt, gener- a , ra il or crake. See skitty. 
ally sold in lengths sufficient for a single gar- skite (skit), t'.; pret. and pp. skited, ppr. skiting. 
ment. [Altotfcyte; a Sc. var. of skift.'] I. intnms. To 
skirt-dancing (skert'dan"sing), w. A form of glide; slip; slide. [Scotch.] 
ballet-dancing in which the effect is produced H. trans. To eject (liquid); squirt. [Scotch.] 
by graceful movements of the skirts, which are skite (skit;, n. [Also skyte; < skite, .] 1. A 
sufficiently long and full to be waved in the sudden dash; a smart slower: as, a skite of 
rain. 2. A smart, glancing blow or slap: as, 
a xkite on the lug. 
When hailstanes drive wi' bitter skite. 
Burns, Jolly Beggars. 
3. A squirt or syringe. 4. A trick: as, an ill 
-, skite. [Scotch in all uses.] 
The Atlanta, LXIII. 581. gkitter (skit / te)> . ,. [F req. of SJWL] 1. To 
[<wWrt ] + -eri.] One skim; pass over lightly. 
Some kinds of ducks in lighting strike the water with 
their tails first, and skitter along the surface for a few feet 
before settling down. T. Roosevelt, Hunting Trips, p. 69. 
2. In angling, to draw a baited hook or a spoon- 
hook along the surface of water by means of 
hands of the dancer, 
skirted (sker'ted), o. [< skirt + -R] Having 
a skirt : usually in composition. 
Here stood awaiting him a youth of about his own age, 
and similarly dressed in a long-skirted coat with silver 
buttons, linsey-woolsey knee-breeches, clocked stockings, 
and buckled shoes. 
nit somewhat resembles parsnip 
i flavor, and is eaten boiled served with butter, or half- ,. 
boiled and then fried. Skirretj however, has now nearly SKirter 1 (sker ter), . t _. ._, 
fallen into disuse. who skirts or goes around the borders of any- 
Skyrwyl, herbe or rote (skerwyth). Pastinaca, ... ban- tv-: s.a~ii- 
cla. Prompt. Pare., p. 468. 
The skirret (which some say) in sallats stirs the blood. 
Drayton, Polyolbion, xx. 60. 
skirrhus (skir'us), n. Same as scirrhus. 
skirt 1 (skert), n. [< ME. skirt, skyrt, skirthe, < 
Icel. skyrta, a shirt, a kind of kirtle (hringskyrta, 
'ring-shirt,' a coat of mail, fyrirskyrta, 'fore- ,. . uunuow. OITWIIU 
skirt,' an apron), = 8w.skjorta, a skirt, skort, a MOrt^W^Wr), . A dialectal form of squirt- skitter-brained (skit' er- brand), a. Giddy; 
petticoat, = Dan. skjorte, a shirt, skjort, a petti- *?' "' thoughtless HiilHirrll fPmv Kn<r 1 
coat, = MHG. G. schurz', apron garment: see ^furrow (skert'fur'a) See furrow. skittering tski^r-ing) * [Verbal of skit- 
shirt, of which skirt is a doublet.] 1. The lower skirting (sker'tmg), n. [< skirft + -inj/ 1 .] 1. * 
and hanging part of a coat or other garment; A strong material made for women's under- 
thing; specifically, in hunting, a huntsman or 
dog who goes around a high hedge, or gate, 
etc., instead of over or through it. 
Sit down in your saddles and race at the brook, 
Then smash at the bullfinch ; no time for a look ; 
Leave cravens and skirters to dangle behind ; 
He 's away for the moors in the teeth of the wind ! 
Kingsley, Go Hark ! 
a rod and line : as, to skitter for pickerel. 
Throw the spoon near the weeds with a stiff rod, and 
draw it sideways from the bow of the boat, or skitter with 
artificial minnow. Sportsman's Gazetteer, p. 874. 
the part of a garment below the waist. 
SftLae^MS^ss^!*-- frauwJM5K3S ss 
ter, y.~\ In angling, the action of drawing or 
jerking a bait along the surface of the water. 
.~ pm ci gnmiciiL uoiu> me *vtiiBu , . ', , ,* ~. * ' j . ~ ~ ~ ~ . * or sKuiering a noat is not used, nor is natural bait the 
Skyrt, of a garment, Trames. Prornvt. Pan D 468 ng T len g tu and width tor skirts, and some- best Spoons are used mounted with feathers. The angler 
It** * Fimoa cnnrta/1 of\ oa 4-n sl-iminlnVi nrAnVn n J *!, stnnHa n*>ar tVif Kn\v nf a Knot nml c.Hf*-o..n +v, rt 1,. !,-,.,, 
And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold 
upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. 1 Sam. xv. 27. 
This morning ... I rose, put on my suit with great 
skirts. Pepys, Diary, Jan. 1, 1660. 
Margaret had to hold by the skirt of Solomon's coat, 
while he felt his way before. S. Judd, Margaret, i. 16. 
2. A woman's petticoat ; the part of a woman's 
dress that hangs from the waist; formerly, a 
woman's lap. 
Anon the woman . . . toke his hede into her tkirthe, and 
he began ... to slepe. 
times shaped so as to diminish waste and the 
labor of making. Felt, woolen, and other mate- - MJ 
rials are manufactured in this form. 2 Same Skitter-Wit (skit er-wit), w. A foolish, 
us skirting-board. ??F?J )r . alne . d . f e 1 l ow - SaUiwell. JPrpv. 
The skirting, which in our country is generally of wood, 
was finished with ivory four feet from the ground. 
Bruce, Source of the Nile, II. 633. 
3. In a saddle, a padded lining beneath the 
flaps. E. H. Knight. 4. pi. In sheep-shearing, 
the inferior parts of the wool taken from the ex- 
tremities. [Australia.] 5. Same as skirft, 8. 
Gesta, Jtomanorum (ed. Herrtage, E. E. T. S.), p. 188. skirting-board (sker'ting-bord), n. The nar- 
. brightens up that 
That fair Lady Betty [a portrait] . 
panel well with her long satin skirt. 
George Eliot, Felix Holt, x. 1. 
row board placed round the bottom of the wall 
of a room, next the floor. Also called base-board, 
mopboard, and wash-board. 
hanging part, loose from the rest: as, the skirtless (skert'les), a. [< skirft + -lessj 
of a saddle. See cut under saddle. Without a skirt ; destitute of a skirt, 
[He]smotethehorsewiththesporesonbothesidesfaste sklSG, r. i. See skice. 
by the slnrtes of his sadell, for his legges were so shorte. 
Merlin 
. T. S.), iii. 683. 
4f. A narrow frill, corresponding to what would 
now be called a ruffle. 
A narrow lace or a small sMrtof fine ruffled linen, which 
runs along the upper part of the stays before. 
Addistm, Guardian, No. 118 
5. Border; edge; margin; extreme part: as, 
the skirts of a town. 
A dish of pickled sailors, fine salt sea-boys, shall relish 
like anchovies or caveare, to draw down a cup of nectar 
in the skirts of a night. B. Jonson, Neptune's Triumph. 
. Some great man sure that's asham'd of his kindred- 
perhaps some Suburbe Justice, that sits o' the skirts o' the 
City, and lives by 't. Brome, Sparagus Garden, ii. a 
6. In milling, the margin of a millstone. 7f. 
Milit., same as base 1 , 2. 8. The midriff or dia- 
phragm: so called from its appearance, as seen 
in butchers' meat. Alsosferttm/.-Atone'askirts 
following one closely. 
Therefore go on ; I at thy skirts will come. 
Longfellow, tr. of Dante s Inferno, xv. 40. 
Chinese Skirt, a close narrow skirt for women's dresses 
worn about 1870 after the abandonment of crinoline and 
hoop-skirts. Divided Skirt, a style of dress, recommend- 
ed on hygienic grounds, in which the skirt resembles a 
P. 8 '. 1 ;?' e * ce e<|i"gly loose trousers.- To sit upon one's 
skirtst, to take revenge on one. 
Crosse me not, Liza, nether be so perte 
For if thou dost I'll sit upon thy skirte. 
The Abortive of an Idle Howe (1620). (HalHwell.) 
skirtMskert), v._ [< skirft, n.'] I. trans. To bor- 
(skit) - 
P ret - a 
-- , irpr- skit- 
ting. [Also (Sc.) skite, skyte; < ME. *skitten, 
skyten, < Sw. skutta, dial, skotta, leap (cf. dial. 
skytta, go hunting, be idle), < skjuta, shoot: see 
shoot, and cf . scoot 1 , of which skift is ult. a secon- 
dary form. Cf. also scud, scu ttle*.'] 1. To leap 
aside ; fly off at a tangent ; go off suddenly. 
And then I cam abord the Admiral], and bade them 
stryke in the Kyngys name of Englond, and they bade me 
skyte in the Kyngs name of Englond. 
Paston Letters, I. 84. 
I hope my friend will not love a wench against her will ; 
... if she skit and recoil, he shoots her off warily and 
away he goes. Chapman, May-Day, ii. 2. 
2. 
stands near the bow of a boat and skitters the lure along 
the surface of the water. 
iddy, 
Skittish (skit'ish), o. [< late ME. skyityshe; < 
skift + -is* 1 .] 1. Easily frightened ; disposed 
to start, jump, or run, as if from fright. 
A skittish filly will be your fortune, Welford, and fair 
enough for such a packsaddle. 
Beau, and Fl., Scornful Lady, iii. 1. 
De little Rabbits, dey mighty skittish, en dey sorter hud- 
dle deyse'f up tergedder en watch Brer Fox motions. 
J. C. Harris, Uncle Kemus, xxil. 
Hence 2. Shy; a, voiding familiarity or inter- 
course; timid; retiring; coy. 
He slights us 
As skittish things, and we shun him as curious. 
Fletcher, Wildgoose Chase, ii. 8. 
And if the skittish Nymph should fly. 
He [Youth] in a double Sense must die. 
Prior, Alma, 11. 
3. Changeable; volatile; fickle; inconstant; ca- 
pricious. 
Such as I am all true lovers are, 
Unstaid and skittish in all motions else, 
Save in the constant image of the creature 
That is beloved. Shak., T. N., 11. 4. 18. 
Had I been froward, skittish, or unkind, . . . 
Thou might'st in justice and in conscience fly. 
Crabbe, Works, II. 184. 
4. Deceitful; tricky; deceptive. 
Withal it is observed, that the lands in Berkshire are 
very skittish, and often cast their owners. 
Fuller, Worthies, Berkshire, I. 162. 
Everybody's family doctor was remarkably clever, and 
was understood to have immeasurable skill in the manage- 
ment and training of the most skittish or vicious diseases. 
George Eliot, Middlemarch, xv. 
To flounce ; caper like a skittish horse. 
[Scotch.] 
Yet, soon 's she hears me mention Muirland Willie, 
She skits and flings like ony towmont filly. George Mwt, Middlemarch, xv. 
Tannahill, Poems, p. 12. (Jamieson.) skittishly (skjt'ish-li), adv. In a skittish man- 
3. To slide. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng ] ner; restively; shyly; changeably. 
Skit 1 (skit), n. [Prob. < shift, v.~\ 1 Alight sklttishness (skit'ish-nes), n. The state or 
wanton wench character of being skittish, in any sense of that 
At the request of a dancing Ait, [Herod] stroke off the ^?^ , S$ft Con r s f ious Lo ^ e .' s ' "}' J ' 
head of St. John the Baptist. Skittle (skit l),w. [Anunassibilatedform (prob. 
Howard, Earl of Northampton, Def. against supposed 
[Prophecies (1683). 
2. A scud of rain. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
skit 2 (skit), n. [Perhaps, after ski ft, v., a var. 
of *scouft, n. (see scout*, v.), < Icel. skfiti, sk&ta, 
a taunt, scoff, and so, like the ult. related AS. 
der; form the border or edge of }'mw along OnS % te < \ n a f ttack ' ^T?^ ^"f ^ "# f 
tw ~A * > sceotan, shoot: see shoot, sktft.] 1. A satirical 
the edge of. 
Oft when sundown skirts the moor. 
due to Scand.) of shittle, now usually shuttle, 
= Dan. skyttel = Sw. skyttel, a shuttle: see 
shuttle*. For the game so called, cf. shuttle* 
(def. 7) and shuttlecock."] 1. One of the pins 
used in the game of skittles. 
Ill cleave you from the skull to the twist, and make 
nine skittles of thy bones. 
Quoted in Strutt's Sports and Pastimes, p. 366. 
or sarcastic attack ; a lampoon; a pasquinade; 2. pi. A game played with nine pins set upright 
Tennyson, in Memorlan a S 1 uil) > also > a short essay or treatise ; a pam- at one end of an alley, the object of the player 
phlet ; a brochure ; a literary trifle, especially stationed at the other end being to knock over 
' one of a satirical or sarcastic nature. ' 
Hawk-eye, . 
i lkel y t "void observation, . . . rather skirted than en- 
tered the village. J. F. Cooper, Last of Mohicans, xxv. 
, . 
II. intrans. 1. To be or live on the border; 
also, to move along a border, shore, or edge. 
A manuscript with learning fraught, 
Or some nice pretty little skit 
Upon the times, and full of wit. 
Combe, Dr. Syntax's Tours, ii. 7. (Dames.) don! 
the set of pins with as few throws as possible 
of a large roundish ball. 
Skittles is another favourite amusement, and the coster- 
mongers class themselves among the best players in Lon- 
Mayhev, London Labour and London Poor, I. 14. 
