skate
1300
skate³ n pl. skate or skates a large flat sea fish that can be eaten
skate·board /'skeɪtbɔːd||-bɔːrd/ n a short board with two small wheels at each end, for standing on and riding → compare ROLLER SKATE ———er n ———ing n [U]
skat·er /'skeɪtər/ n 1 someone who SKATES: Five US skaters won medals at the Olympics. 2 in!ml especially AmE someone who rides on a SKATEBOARD
CULTURAL NOTE Skaters are usually young men between the ages of 12 and 20 who wear long, loose-fitting SHORTS or loose-fitting trousers. They are known for their style of clothes and music, and are usually considered as a group.
ske·dad·dle /skɪ'dædl/ v [I] in!ml humor to run away
skee·ter /'skiːtər/ n AmE in!ml a MOSQUITO
skeet shoo·ting /'skiːt ʃuːtŋ/ n [U] the sport of shooting at clay objects thrown into the air to give the effect of flying birds
Skeg·ness /ˌskeg'nes/ a town on the east coast of England which is a popular place especially for WORKING-CLASS people from central England to go for a day or for their holidays
skein /skeɪn/ n [(of)] 1 a loosely wound length of thread or YARN 2 a large group of wild GEESE flying in the sky
skel·e·tal /'skelɪtəl/ adj of or like a skeleton: the skeletal bodies of the starving people | (fig.) a skeletal report (=giving only the main points, and not providing details)
skeleton
skull
vertebrae
collarbone/
clavicle (med)
shoulder blade/
scapula (med)
breastbone/
sternum (med)
rib
humerus
spine
ulna
radius
pelvis
coccyx
thigh bone/femur (med)
kneecap/patella (med)
shinbone/tibia (med)
fibula
skel·e·ton¹ /'skelɪtən/ n 1 the structure consisting of all the bones in a human or animal body 2 a set of these bones (or models of them) held in their positions, e.g. for use by medical students 3 [(of)] something forming a structure on which more is built or added: the steel skeleton of a new skyscraper | I've written the skeleton of my report, but I have to fill in the details. 4 an extremely thin person or animal: The poor old man was just a skeleton. 5 in!ml an unpleasant often shocking event or fact from the past that a person or family keeps secret (especially in the phrase skeleton in the closet/cupboard (BrE)
skeleton² adj [A] enough to keep an operation or organiza- tion going, and no more: During the strike British Rail is providing only a skeleton service, with five trains a day. | a skeleton staff
'skeleton key n 1 BrE || master key AmE —a key made to open a number of different locks 2 AmE an old-fashioned key
skep·tic /'skeptɪk/ n AmE for SCEPTIC ———al adj ———ally /kli/ adv ———ism /'skeptɪsɪzəm/ n [U]
sketch¹ /sketʃ/ n 1 a simple, quickly-made, and not detailed drawing: Rembrandt's sketches for his paintings | a pencil/charcoal sketch 2 a short written or spoken descrip- tion: On the back of the book there is a brief biographical sketch of the author. 3 a short humorous scene on stage, television etc, that is part of a larger show: The next sketch features a man going into a pet shop to complain about his dead parrot.
sketch² v 1 [I,T] to draw a sketch (of) 2 [T(IN, OUT)] to describe roughly with few details: Let me just sketch in/out the main points of our plan. ———er n
sketch·book /'sketʃbʊk/ n a book containing quick draw- ings or plain paper for making quick drawings: Shall I show you what I did in my sketchbook today?
Sketch·ley /'sketʃli/ 1 trademark a group of dry-cleaning shops in the UK 2 a British company which supplies work clothes for people who work in shops, factories etc, and supplies pipes for other industries. It sold its dry-cleaning business and its SupaSnaps photograph processing shops in 1998.
sketch·pad /'sketʃpæd/ also sketchbook n a number of sheets of paper fastened together for drawing on
sketch·y /'sketʃi/ adj often derog not thorough or complete; lacking details: My memory of what happened is rather sketchy. | rather sketchy coverage of an important news story ———ily adv ———iness n [U]
skew¹ /skjuː/ v [T] to cause to be not straight or exact; twist; DISTORT: A few inaccurate figures could skew the results of the survey.
skew² n on the skew not straight; sloping or twisted; ASKEW
skew·bald /'skjuːbɔːld/ n, adj (a horse) coloured with large white and especially brown shapes → compare PIEBALD
skew·er¹ /'skjuːər/ n a long metal or wooden pin for putting through (pieces of) meat while cooking, used e.g. to make KEBABS
skewer² v [T] to fasten or make a hole through (as if) with a skewer: Skewer the chicken before you cook it.
skew·'whiff adj [F] BrE in!ml, usually humor not straight; skewed: She came in out of the wind with her hat rather skew-whiff.
ski¹ /skiː/ n pl. skis 1 either of a pair of long thin narrow pieces of wood, plastic, or metal curving up in front, that are fastened to boots and used for travelling on snow 2 a RUNNER shaped like a ski on a small motor vehicle, SKIBOB, OR SKI PLANE
ski² v past tense and past participle skied /skiːd/, present participle skiing [I] to go on skis for sport or as a means of travel: I'm learning to ski. | We skied down the hill. | They always go skiing in January. → see also SKIER, SKI LIFE, SKI POLE, SKI RUN, WATER SKIING; see colour photo on page A45
CULTURAL NOTE In both the US and the UK skiing holidays are popular in the winter. In the US people tend to buy or rent special homes in the mountains, and go skiing in places such as the ROCKY MOUNTAINS or VERMONT. In the UK people often buy a PACKAGE HOLIDAY (where the price includes travel, food, a place to stay etc), and go to France, Switzerland, or Austria. There are also some ski RESORTS in Scotland, such as AVIEMORE and GLENCOE.
ski·bob /'skiːbɒb||-bɑːb/ n a bicycle-like vehicle with skis instead of wheels
'ski boot n a specially made boot fastened to the foot and locked into position on a ski → see PAIR (USAGE)