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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

skedaddle en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (US) audio
  • /skɪˈdædɫ̩/ (Received-Pronunciation, US)
  • (Australia) audio

Etymology

First use appears c. 1861, in the New York Tribune. The word appeared and gained prominence in Civil War military contexts around 1861, and rapidly passing into more general use. Possibly an alteration of British dialect scaddle (“to run off in a fright”), from the adjective scaddle (“wild, timid, skittish”), from Middle English scathel, skadylle (“harmful, fierce, wild”), of North Germanic/Scandinavian origin, from Old Norse *skǫðull; akin to Old Norse skaði (“harm”). Possibly related to the Ancient Greek σκέδασις (skédasis, “scattering”), σκεδασμός (skedasmós, “dispersion”). Possibly related to scud or scat.

Meanings

  1. (informal) The act of running away; a scurrying off.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
skedaddles Number=Plur lexicographic

Translations (4)

de Flucht (Act of running away) · de Weglaufen (Act of running away) · de Abhauen (Act of running away) · pl zwiewanie (Act of running away)

wikipedia: New York Tribune

skedaddle en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • (US) audio
  • /skɪˈdædɫ̩/ (Received-Pronunciation, US)
  • (Australia) audio

Etymology

First use appears c. 1861, in the New York Tribune. The word appeared and gained prominence in Civil War military contexts around 1861, and rapidly passing into more general use. Possibly an alteration of British dialect scaddle (“to run off in a fright”), from the adjective scaddle (“wild, timid, skittish”), from Middle English scathel, skadylle (“harmful, fierce, wild”), of North Germanic/Scandinavian origin, from Old Norse *skǫðull; akin to Old Norse skaði (“harm”). Possibly related to the Ancient Greek σκέδασις (skédasis, “scattering”), σκεδασμός (skedasmós, “dispersion”). Possibly related to scud or scat.

Meanings

  1. (US, informal, intransitive) To move or run away quickly.
    • Looked up at your office and all of it empty and I nearly cried. Cigar guy, out viewing his big time display window comes across the street. Wants to know if he can help. Told him to mind his own business. You know what he said, sister if you got any connection with that guy, they caught up with him, so you better beat it. I said sic him Goliath. Did that guy skidaddle. 1963, J P Donleavy, A Singular Man, published 1963 (USA), page 204:
    • In the early 1960s, there were plenty of people still alive who had looted Europe in the Second World War, parked proceeds in Switzerland, and skedaddled to Argentina. 2018, Oliver Bullough, chapter 2, in Moneyland, →ISBN, page 41:
    • "Well," continued the youth, "lots of good-a-'nough men have thought they was going to do great things before the fight, but when the time come they skedaddled." 1895 October, Stephen Crane, chapter II, in The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, page 29:
    • Then filled with inspiration he drove in his Buick, the busted muffler blasting in the country lanes and the great long car skedaddling dangerously on the curves. Lucky for the woodchucks they were already hibernating. 1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 122:
  2. (regional, transitive) To spill; to scatter.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
skedaddled Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
skedaddled Tense=Past lexicographic
skedaddles Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
skedaddling Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Deriveds

skedaddler

Synonyms

vamoose · scat · rush · flee · skitter · make tracks · skidoo · take off · kick rocks · beat feet (move or run away quickly) · hightail · get lost

Translations (43)

hu elszalad (move or run away quickly) · nl vluchten (move or run away quickly) · es pirarse (move or run away quickly) · sv kila (move or run away quickly) · es darse el bote (move or run away quickly) · fi juosta karkuun (move or run away quickly) · ia sortir (move or run away quickly) · ru улепётывать (move or run away quickly) · nl wegstuiven (move or run away quickly) · fr déguerpir (move or run away quickly) · nb stikke av (move or run away quickly) · pt dar no pé (move or run away quickly) · ru смота́ться (move or run away quickly) · bg измъквам се (move or run away quickly) · es pirárselas (move or run away quickly) · bg офейквам (move or run away quickly) · ru удира́ть (move or run away quickly) · hu elinal (move or run away quickly) · de türmen (move or run away quickly) · es levantar el vuelo (move or run away quickly) · sv sticka (move or run away quickly) · es irse (move or run away quickly) · de abhauen (move or run away quickly) · nl het op een lopen zetten (move or run away quickly) · hu meglép (move or run away quickly) · pl zwiewać (move or run away quickly) · nb stikke (move or run away quickly) · es barajustar (move or run away quickly) · mk бе́га (move or run away quickly) · sv dra (move or run away quickly) · pl zwiać (move or run away quickly) · ru дра́пать (move or run away quickly) · sv springa (move or run away quickly) · sv pysa (move or run away quickly) · es largarse (move or run away quickly) · ru удра́ть (move or run away quickly) · sv rusa (move or run away quickly) · es barajustarse (move or run away quickly) · ru сма́тываться (move or run away quickly) · es alzar el vuelo (move or run away quickly) · it scappare (move or run away quickly) · hu megfutamodik (move or run away quickly) · nb pigge av (move or run away quickly)

wikipedia: New York Tribune