Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To avoid work or duty; shirk.
- transitive verb To cut thin layers off (leather or rubber, for example); pare.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To turn up the eyes.
- noun In gem-cutting, same as
diamond-wheel . - In leather manufacturing and lapidary-work, to shave, scarf, or pare off; grind away (superfluous substance).
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The iron lap used by diamond polishers in finishing the facets of the gem.
- transitive verb To pare or shave off the rough or thick parts of (hides or leather).
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The iron
lap used by diamond polishers in finishing the facets of the gem. - verb To
pare or shave off the rough or thick parts of (hides or leather). - verb UK To avoid one's lessons or, sometimes, work. Chiefly at school or university.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb remove the surface of
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Of course the rehab place, unlike the hospital, makes H do this routinely, and he tries, often successfully, to skive at home.
Henry’s Demons Patrick Cockburn 2011
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Tone of voice after having a skive off work the day before
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More From The Times Britons to skive off work for Murray semi.
Fed Express Fails to Deliver Giles Smith 2011
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After his family moved from a home close to Parkhead to a flat near Ibrox, Dalglish befriended a young Rangers player called Alex Miller and it was not unknown for him to skive off school in order to hang around the club before cadging favours from a senior pro.
Kenny Dalglish expects respect but no free ride from Sir Alex Ferguson 2011
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Tone of voice after having a skive off work the day before
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Of course the rehab place, unlike the hospital, makes H do this routinely, and he tries, often successfully, to skive at home.
Henry’s Demons Patrick Cockburn 2011
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The Brazilian culture has achieved true mastery of the art of doing nothing, or as they phrase it "vadiar." vadiar: to lounge about (não trabalhar), to idle about (não estudar), to skive (perambular), to wander
Daniel Cook: What Brazilians Can Teach Us About Relaxation 2010
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The Brazilian culture has achieved true mastery of the art of doing nothing, or as they phrase it "vadiar." vadiar: to lounge about (não trabalhar), to idle about (não estudar), to skive (perambular), to wander
Daniel Cook: What Brazilians Can Teach Us About Relaxation 2010
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I am hoping to convince wifey to let me skive off for a couple of days from Brisbane to go.
Making Light: PSA 2010
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The only reason Lindsay had an alcohol education programme to skive is because her expensive lawyers managed to swing it for her, in order that she might swerve jail time for a previous conviction – an offence that is considerably less easy to sympathise with.
jberkel commented on the word skive
Boris: No excuse for 'mass skive'
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7865169.stm)
February 3, 2009
GHibbs commented on the word skive
In the UK 'to skive' is more often (not attending, being absent, malingering or bunking off) from work or school. These ideas are in the examples but not in the definitions.
August 24, 2011
alexz commented on the word skive
"Stop skiving: Computers can SEE THROUGH your FAKE PAIN. http://m.theregister.co.uk/2014/03/25/program_discerns_faked_pain_better_than_humans_can/
The Reg's usage of skiving seems different than the dictionary definition.
March 25, 2014
yarb commented on the word skive
To pull a sickie is just one way of skiving. One would be equally skiving by spending excessive time in the local pie shop or discussing the meaning of words like this on the internet.
All those other definitions about paring and iron laps seem pretty obscure to me.
March 25, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word skive
Does someone have a list of leather-working terms? Was it me? (I know I have a list about glove-making.)
March 25, 2014
yarb commented on the word skive
Sensuous, passionate glove-making I presume?
March 25, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word skive
If the glove fits....
March 25, 2014
bilby commented on the word skive
Possibly also skyve.
March 25, 2014
fbharjo commented on the word skive
con-skive? (or conskyvial)
March 26, 2014