Crossword clues for skitter
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Skitter \Skit"ter\, v. t. [Cf. Skit, v. t.] To move or pass (something) over a surface quickly so that it touches only at intervals; to skip.
The angler, standing in the bow, 'skitters' or skips
the spoon over the surface.
--James A.
Henshall.
Skitter \Skit"ter\, v. i. To pass or glide lightly or with quick touches at intervals; to skip; to skim.
Some kinds of ducks in lighting strike the water with
their tails first, and skitter along the surface for a
feet before settling down.
--T.
Roosevelt.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"to run rapidly," 1845, frequentative of skite "to dart, run quickly" (1721), perhaps from a Scandinavian source (compare Old Norse skjota "to shoot, launch, move quickly, avoid (a blow);" Norwegian dialectal skutla "glide rapidly"); see skittish. As a noun from 1905.
Wiktionary
n. 1 A skittering movement. 2 (context Scotland Northern England uncountable English) diarrhea vb. 1 (context intransitive English) To move hurriedly or as by twitching or bouncing. 2 (context intransitive English) To make a skittering noise. 3 (cx transitive English) To move or pass (something) over a surface quickly so that it touches only at intervals; to skip.
WordNet
v. to move about or proceed hurriedly; "so terrified by the extraordinary ebbing of the sea that they scurried to higher ground" [syn: scurry, scamper, scuttle]
glide easily along a surface
cause to skip over a surface; "Skip a stone across the pond" [syn: skim, skip]
twitch the hook of a fishing line through or along the surface of water
Usage examples of "skitter".
Elbryan snapped his sword over and around the spear, angling it past on his right, and he skittered out to the left, up the slope, gaining the higher ground.
But something skittered away, burrowing under the surface of her conscious mind, and she found it suddenly difficult to think.
The next moment, he had skittered out of the formation which had slowed to let the Kyben craft overshoot, while the Earthmen decelerated to pick up maneuverability.
The gleaming ivory tip of the spear darted at him, but he parried with a ferocious cut of the panga, snapping the spear in half, the point falling to the ice and skittering away.
The kobolds, Bunion and Parsnip, trailed after, gnarled bodies skittering along, wizened monkey faces grinning doubtfully, all teeth and sharp angles.
Gullywudes and spriggans, and a bogan or two, leapt away from where the penknife skittered across the stone floor, throwing up sparks.
The progressor shrieked again, trying to obey, but the shell slowed only a little before it slammed hard against the shore and skittered a good two meters up the rocky beach.
Then he began to slide past conduits, rungs, protruberances, dusty cables and the skittering intent little servo-robots about their blind tasks.
One of them, a collie, bounded up behind Ratty and yanked at his leg, throwing him to the ground, then skittered away.
The sensorium carried skittering wails of despair, of horrible surprise.
One pedestrian skittered and tumbled, sending parcels every-whichway, another wet herself, a third keeled slantwise and the walk was stopped automatically by the servitors till she could be resuscitated.
One pedestrian skittered and tumbled, sending parcels everywhichway, another wet herself, a third keeled slantwise, and the walk was stopped automatically by the servitors till she could be resuscitated.
No one could doubt that he was striking with all his not inconsiderable strength, for twice a shower of sparklets flew upward from the buffets, the fabric of the hardwood dummy creaked and groaned protestingly and, at the last blow, one of the axles of the dummy-cart bent and a freed wooden wheel went skittering across the floor.
Cadillac skittered sideways, bullets spattering off its armored hide as Razorface wrenched the wheel left and then right.
He took a step toward the clown, but he skittered away like an underfed mongrel.