Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
also skellum, "a rascal, scamp, scoundrel," 1610s, from Dutch schelm, from German schelm "rascal, devil, pestilence, etc.," from Old High German scelmo. Used by Dryden, but "Now arch. (except in S.Africa)" [OED].
Usage examples of "skelm".
Black Skelm was a gnarled little monkey-man with a white scraggle of beard wisping from his sunken cheeks.
Black Skelm, who sought the caves of the bats and the vultures, to live like a scavenger in a world of death.
He would have fallen, but the Black Skelm came up behind him and caught him.
Black Skelm led him back to the mouth of the cave, and bade him sit in the shadows there.
Black Skelm was already on his feet, scuttling into the shadows of the cave.
The therapy sessions had caused Harvey to think about the Black Skelm once more, for the first time in twenty years.
The Black Skelm fumbled with a little leather pouch at his waist and drew forth a dark, shrivelled object.
Black Skelm carefully broke the dried kernel in half and extended a portion to Harvey.
America in Arizona, he was back with Gilda, he was back with the bearded man in France, he was back at the universities, back at the theater watching that preposterous cartoon, back here again on the mountain-top meeting the Black Skelm for the first time.