/skeə/ (New-Zealand) without the cheer–chair merger
/skɜː(ɹ)/ Lancashire, fair–fur merger
/skiə/ New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
/skeɹ/ (Scotland)
/skɛə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
/skɛɚ/ (General-American)
/skeː/ (Australia)
Etymology
From Middle English sker, skere (“terror, fright”), from the verb Middle English skerren (“to frighten”) (see below).
Meanings
A minor fright.
Johnny had a bad scare last night.
England were held to a draw after surviving a major scare against Switzerland as they were forced to come from two goals behind to earn a point in the Euro 2012 qualifier at Wembley. 2011 June 4, Phil McNulty, “England 2 - 2 Switzerland”, in BBC:
A cause of terror or alarm; a panic; something that inspires fear or dread.
a food-poisoning scare
A device or object used to frighten.
But I admit the possibility of their being used as "scares" for either birds of prey or snakes, or both. 1948, Alec H. Chisholm, Bird Wonders of Australia, page 153:
/skeə/ (New-Zealand) without the cheer–chair merger
/skɜː(ɹ)/ Lancashire, fair–fur merger
/skiə/ New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
/skeɹ/ (Scotland)
/skɛə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
/skɛɚ/ (General-American)
/skeː/ (Australia)
Etymology
From Middle English scaren, skaren, scarren, skeren, skerren, from Old Norse skirra (“to frighten; to shrink away from, shun; to prevent, avert”), from Proto-Germanic *skirzijaną (“to shoo, scare off”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to swing, jump, move”). Related to Old Norse skjarr (“timid, shy, afraid of”). Cognate with Scots skar (“wild, timid, shy”), dialectal Norwegian Nynorsk skjerra, dialectal Swedish skjarra and possibly Old Armenian ցիռ (cʻiṙ, “wild ass”).
Meanings
(transitive) To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
(Laurel Stevenson) Would you please be quiet? You're scaring the little girl.
(Craig Toomey) Scaring the little girl?! Scaring the little girl?! Lady! 1995, The Langoliers:
In other words, the transaction is preferred because it is the best of bad choices. And at least one study has found that when management preannounces a deal it results in lower premiums presumably because it scares off other bidders. 2013 February 5, Steven Davidoff Solomon, “Reasons to Be Suspicious of Buyouts Led by Management”, in The New York Times:
Did it scare you when I said "Boo!"?
Late triumphs of Russian science are scaring the very dogwater out of large elements in our society, and we both fear more "purging" instead of more effort at catching up. 1957 October 20, Roy Bedichek, “to John Henry Faulk”, in Letters of Roy Bedichek, Austin, T.X.: University of Texas Press, published 1985, →ISBN, page 507:
That cannot be; the noise of thy crossbow / Will scare the herd, and so my shoot is lost. c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], lines 6-7: