From Middle English skemen, skymen, variants of scumen, from Old French escumer (“to remove scum”), from escume (“froth, foam”), from Frankish *skūm (“froth, foam”), from Proto-Germanic *skūmaz (“foam”), from Proto-Indo-European *skew- (“to cover, conceal”). See scum.
Meanings
(not-comparable, of milk) Having lowered fat content.
From Middle English skemen, skymen, variants of scumen, from Old French escumer (“to remove scum”), from escume (“froth, foam”), from Frankish *skūm (“froth, foam”), from Proto-Germanic *skūmaz (“foam”), from Proto-Indo-European *skew- (“to cover, conceal”). See scum.
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) A cursory reading, skipping the details.
For a first quick appreciation of the approach, we recommend a fast reading of Chapter 1, then a skim through the figures of the next two chapters — glancing at the definitions of key concepts that appear below the figures in Chapters 2 and 3. 2012, John Friend, Allen Hickling, Planning Under Pressure, page xxii:
(countable, informal, uncountable) Skim milk.
Two percent milk has only a fraction less fat than whole milk, so unless you are feeding a child or someone whose diet requires whole milk, skim is best. 2010, Gary G. Kindley, Growing Older Without Fear: The Nine Qualities of Successful Aging:
(countable, uncountable) The act of skimming.
Then you could jump 150 years and enjoy a skim across the Solent in Britain's remarkable Hovercraft. 1969, Newsweek, volume 74, page 75:
(countable, uncountable) That which is skimmed off.
(countable, uncountable) Theft of money from a business before the transaction has been recorded, thus avoiding detection.
It's a hustle, but it keeps me busy. I can take in three to three-fifty a week, more with skims. 1976, Paul Schrader, Taxi Driver, spoken by Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro):
This potential is further increased by the ease of passing on the costs of corruption and racketeering to consumers; a skim of only one percent of a construction project can amount to hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. 1989, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Government Operations. Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Subcommittee, Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at Federally Funded Wastewater Treatment Construction Projects, volume 4:
From Middle English skemen, skymen, variants of scumen, from Old French escumer (“to remove scum”), from escume (“froth, foam”), from Frankish *skūm (“froth, foam”), from Proto-Germanic *skūmaz (“foam”), from Proto-Indo-European *skew- (“to cover, conceal”). See scum.
Meanings
(intransitive) To pass lightly; to glide along in an even, smooth course; to glide along near the surface.
Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain, / Flies o'er the unbending corn, and skims along the main. 1711 May, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Criticism, London: […] W[illiam] Lewis […]; and sold by W[illiam] Taylor […], T[homas] Osborn[e] […], and J[ohn] Graves […], →OCLC:
(transitive) To pass near the surface of; to brush the surface of; to glide swiftly along the surface of.
Homer describes Mercury as flinging himself from the top of Olympus, and skimming the surface of the ocean. 1817, William Hazlitt, The Round Table:
To hasten along with superficial attention.
They skim over a science in a very night superficial survey. 1741, I[saac] Watts, The Improvement of the Mind: Or, A Supplement to the Art of Logick: […], London: […] James Brackstone, […], →OCLC:
To put on a finishing coat of plaster.
Ceilings are lined with fibrous asbestos, the internal plastering being reduced to skimming alone. 1924, The Architect, volume 112, page 291:
(transitive) To throw an object so it bounces on water.
skimming stones
(intransitive) To ricochet.
(transitive) To read quickly or describe summarily, skipping some detail.
I skimmed the newspaper over breakfast.
(through)
(transitive) To scrape off; to remove (something) from a surface
(transitive) To clear (a liquid) from scum or substance floating or lying on it, by means of a utensil that passes just beneath the surface.
to skim broth
to skim milk
(transitive) To clear a liquid from (scum or substance floating or lying on it), especially the cream that floats on top of fresh milk.
to skim cream
To steal money from a business before the transaction has been recorded, thus avoiding detection.
[…] take this money without entering anything into the record-keeping system, thereby accomplishing a theft by skimming. 2009, Tracy L. Coenen, Expert Fraud Investigation: A Step-by-Step Guide, page 109:
Obviously, the longer cash sits around before being recorded, the more likely it is that a skimming fraud will occur. 2006, Herbert Snyder, Small Change, Big Problems, page 48:
To surreptitiously scan a payment card in order to obtain its information for fraudulent purposes.
sv skumma (read quickly, skipping some detail) · it rimbalzare (ricochet) · de abprallen (ricochet) · nb skumme (read quickly, skipping some detail) · ru рикошети́ровать (ricochet) · de platteln (throw an object so it bounces on water) · fr effleurer (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · ka გადაკითხვა (read quickly, skipping some detail) · it schiumare (scrape off; remove (something) from a surface) · ru проли́стывать (read quickly, skipping some detail) · es ojear (read quickly, skipping some detail) · da skimme (read quickly, skipping some detail) · nl afschrapen (scrape off; remove (something) from a surface) · de abstreichen (scrape off; remove (something) from a surface) · fi kaapia (remove cream) · ja 飛びはねる (ricochet) · it scremare (remove cream) · fr feuilleter (read quickly, skipping some detail) · da rikochettere (ricochet) · nl afketsen (ricochet) · nb skumlese (read quickly, skipping some detail) · fi silmäillä (read quickly, skipping some detail) · ca rebotar (throw an object so it bounces on water) · ru бе́гло прочи́тывать (read quickly, skipping some detail) · nl doorbladeren (read quickly, skipping some detail) · nl ketsen (throw an object so it bounces on water) · it spannare (remove cream) · mi ripi (ricochet) · tr taş sektirmek (throw an object so it bounces on water) · it scorrere (read quickly, skipping some detail) · de hüpfen lassen (throw an object so it bounces on water) · fr raser (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · pt ler ligeiramente (read quickly, skipping some detail) · sv studsa (ricochet) · tr sekmek (ricochet) · fr faire des ricochets (throw an object so it bounces on water) · ko 훑어보다 (read quickly, skipping some detail) · ja 読み流す (read quickly, skipping some detail) · ru снима́ть (remove cream) · mi tipi (throw an object so it bounces on water) · ro a răsfoi (read quickly, skipping some detail) · it lambire (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · hu visszapattan (ricochet) · gl estonar (remove cream) · bg обирам каймака (remove cream) · pt ricochetear (ricochet) · zza lengen (ricochet) · de abschöpfen (scrape off; remove (something) from a surface) · de überfliegen (read quickly, skipping some detail) · ru бить рикоше́том (ricochet) · es desnatar (scrape off; remove (something) from a surface) · mi wami (ricochet) · ca rebotar (ricochet) · ja ざっと読む (read quickly, skipping some detail) · fi heittää leipää (throw an object so it bounces on water) · nl diagonaal lezen (read quickly, skipping some detail) · mi tipi (ricochet) · fr écrémer (remove cream) · eo foliumi (read quickly, skipping some detail) · sv rikoschettera (ricochet) · nl afromen (remove cream) · ca llegir en diagonal (read quickly, skipping some detail) · it sfiorare (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · de springen lassen (throw an object so it bounces on water) · de flitschen (throw an object so it bounces on water) · bg нося се над (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · fr frôler (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · it rasentare (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · pl rikoszetować (ricochet) · ca lliscar (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · es hojear (read quickly, skipping some detail) · de titschen (throw an object so it bounces on water) · es rebotar (throw an object so it bounces on water) · ca escumar (scrape off; remove (something) from a surface) · pt ler em diagonal (read quickly, skipping some detail) · cs hodit žabku (throw an object so it bounces on water) · no skumlese (read quickly, skipping some detail) · cs listovat (read quickly, skipping some detail) · ar يَرْتَ (ricochet) · pt ler superficialmente (read quickly, skipping some detail) · fr dépasser doucement (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · ru листа́ть (read quickly, skipping some detail) · nl afromen (scrape off; remove (something) from a surface) · fi lukaista (read quickly, skipping some detail) · ja 読み飛ばす (read quickly, skipping some detail) · ga scinn (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · fr lire en diagonale (read quickly, skipping some detail) · nrf êcrémer (remove cream) · hi मलाई निकालना (remove cream) · el εξοστρακίζομαι (ricochet) · mi ripi (throw an object so it bounces on water) · ru пуска́ть бли́нчики (throw an object so it bounces on water) · gl raspar (scrape off; remove (something) from a surface) · fi lukea hutaisten (read quickly, skipping some detail) · fi kuoria (scrape off; remove (something) from a surface) · es trashojar (read quickly, skipping some detail) · mi hohoni (ricochet) · nn skumlese (read quickly, skipping some detail) · sv kasta macka (throw an object so it bounces on water) · pon dedell (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · fr ricocher (ricochet) · es desnatar (remove cream) · es leer por encima (read quickly, skipping some detail) · fi kimmota (ricochet) · mi riripi (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · de querlesen (read quickly, skipping some detail) · sv ögna igenom (read quickly, skipping some detail) · hu kacsázik (throw an object so it bounces on water) · sv skumma (remove cream) · ro ricoșa (ricochet) · ca fullejar (read quickly, skipping some detail) · bg изгребвам (scrape off; remove (something) from a surface) · fi kuoria (remove cream) · es sobrevolar rozando (to glide along near the surface as a seabird across the ocean) · ca decapar (scrape off; remove (something) from a surface) · pt ler na diagonal (read quickly, skipping some detail) · it sgrassare (scrape off; remove (something) from a surface) · de schiefern (throw an object so it bounces on water) · de flippen (throw an object so it bounces on water) · he רפרף (read quickly, skipping some detail) · cmn 瀏覽 /浏览 (read quickly, skipping some detail) · nn skumme (read quickly, skipping some detail) · fi heittää leipiä (throw an object so it bounces on water) · no skumme (read quickly, skipping some detail) · pt desnatar (remove cream) · wa scramer (remove cream) · fi lukea pintapuolisesti (read quickly, skipping some detail) · es rebotar (ricochet) · ca desnatar (remove cream) · da slå smut (throw an object so it bounces on water) · bg прелиствам (read quickly, skipping some detail) · ca llegir per sobre (read quickly, skipping some detail)