The relatively sudden appearance of “skedaddle” as a fully-formed word, with no known ancestors in English, tends to argue for its importation from another language. There are a number of theories about the origin of “skedaddle,” but no definite answer to the puzzle. In military use there were definite overtones of cowardice under fire in “skedaddle,” but as the word quickly percolated into civilian usage, it came to mean simply “to leave quickly” or “to run away.”
“Skedaddle” first appeared in written accounts of battles in that war, used to mean “to retreat quickly to flee” (“As soon as the rebs saw our red breeches … coming through the woods they skedaddled,” 1862). There’s also the fact that the word in question is actually spelled “skedaddle,” and its spelling has been fairly constant since it came into use during the American Civil War. Too many people would have to simultaneously adopt that usage for it to make any sense to anyone. It’s just not the way the language works. But while some English words have been formed by combining other words (“motel” from “motor hotel,” for instance), I can’t think of an instance of an entire phrase (such as “Let’s get out of here”) being slurred into a single word. While you were reading that paragraph, I was softly repeating “scidattle” over and over to myself, and after awhile it did start to sound a bit like “let’s get out of here,” especially if you say it very quickly with a Brooklyn accent. But just last week I watched Pokie attack a tree that hadn’t moved in at least ten years and didn’t seem to be menacing anyone, so we may have to rethink that bargain. We originally let these two freeloaders, Brownie and Pokie, live here on the assumption that they would provide some basic security.
#Skedaddle meaning plus
By the way, “you guys” really doesn’t apply in this case, because it’s just me and a bunch of illiterate cats here, plus two dogs who are of no use at all unless your heart’s desire is to find the nearest dead possum. If my hypothesis is incorrect, can you guys find out where “scidattle” came from? Boy, I sure hope so. Send us feedback.Dear Word Detective: I’m wondering if the slang word “scidattle,” as is “let’s scidattle” or “time to scidattle,” may originate from a shortened version of “let’s get out of here,” which, when said quickly, has a similar sound and meaning. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skedaddle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2018 Terry caught a screen-pass on the left side, broke a few tackles and skedaddled 58 yard toward glory.Īaron Carter,, 8 Sep. Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2018 His wife has skedaddled, but his nosy neighbor (the delightful Diana Bang) is eager to clean his house and enable his quest to track down the woman who was once almost his adoptive sister. 2017 After the car rolled backwards into the street, the two guys inside the car skedaddled.ĭavid J. Smith Henderson, Popular Mechanics, 11 Jan. Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, 9 June 2019 Ron's wife, Jan, wanted to pack up and be ready to skedaddle. Ford had skedaddled, leaving Perot and Dawkins to face the music.Ĭheryl Hall, Dallas News, 13 July 2019 At a news conference on Tuesday-three days before British Prime Minister Theresa May was set to skedaddle off the world stage forever-the president questioned whether anyone was less than thrilled at his presence. SI.com, 25 July 2019 Somewhere in the midst of all this, the Rev. 2020 Arsenal have officially confirmed the capture of St Etienne centre back William Saliba, with the Frenchman putting pen to paper on a five-year deal at the Emirates before skedaddling straight back to the Ligue 1 side on loan for 2019/20.
#Skedaddle meaning drivers
Recent Examples on the Web Sedan drivers skedaddle like frightened children when this Ranger fills their mirrors.
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