What is "skunk"

Skunk \Skunk\, n. [Contr. from the Abenaki (American Indian) seganku.] (Zo["o]l.) Any one of several species of American musteline carnivores of the genus Mephitis and allied genera. They have two glands near the anus, secreting an extremely fetid liquid, which the animal ejects at pleasure as a means of defense.

Note: The common species of the Eastern United States ( Mephitis mephitica) is black with more or less white on the body and tail. The spotted skunk ( Spilogale putorius), native of the Southwestern United States and Mexico, is smaller than the common skunk, and is variously marked with black and white.

Skunk bird, Skunk blackbird (Zo["o]l.), the bobolink; -- so called because the male, in the breeding season, is black and white, like a skunk.

Skunk cabbage (Bot.), an American aroid herb ( Symplocarpus f[oe]tidus) having a reddish hornlike spathe in earliest spring, followed by a cluster of large cabbagelike leaves. It exhales a disagreeable odor. Also called swamp cabbage.

Skunk porpoise. (Zo["o]l.) See under Porpoise.

Skunk \Skunk\, v. t. In games of chance and skill: To defeat (an opponent) (as in cards) so that he fails to gain a point, or (in checkers) to get a king. [Colloq. U. S.]

1630s, squunck, from a southern New England Algonquian language (probably Abenaki) seganku, from Proto-Algonquian */šeka:kwa/, from */šek-/ "to urinate" + */-a:kw/ "fox." As an insult, attested from 1841. Skunk cabbage is attested from 1751; earlier skunkweed (1738).

"to completely defeat (in a game), to shut out from scoring," 1831, from skunk (n.). Related: Skunked; skunking.

Etymology 1 n. 1 Any of various small mammals, of the family Mephitidae, native to North and Central America, having a glossy black with a white coat and two musk glands at the base of the tail for emitting a noxious smell as a defensive measure. 2 (context slang English) A despicable person. 3 (context slang English) A walkover victory in sports or board games, as when the opposing side is unable to score. Compare shutout. 4 (context cribbage English) A win by 30 or more points. vb. 1 To defeat so badly as to prevent any opposing points. 2 (context cribbage English) To win by 30 or more points. 3 (context intransitive of beer English) to go bad, to spoil Etymology 2

n. A member of a hybrid skinhead and punk subculture. Etymology 3

n. 1 (context slang English) (short for skunkweed dot= English) (gloss: marijuana). 2 Any of the strains of hybrids of ''Cannabis sativa'' and ''Cannabis indica'' that may have THC levels exceeding those of typical hashish.

1. n. a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible; "only a rotter would do that"; "kill the rat"; "throw the bum out"; "you cowardly little pukes!"; "the British call a contemptible person a `git'" [syn: rotter, dirty dog, rat, stinker, stinkpot, bum, puke, crumb, lowlife, scum bag, so-and-so, git]

2. a defeat in a game where one side fails to score [syn: shutout]

3. street names for marijuana [syn: pot, grass, green goddess, dope, weed, gage, sess, sens, smoke, locoweed, Mary Jane]

4. American musteline mammal typically ejecting an intensely malodorous fluid when startled; in some classifications put in a separate subfamily Mephitinae [syn: polecat, wood pussy]

5. v. defeat by a lurch [syn: lurch]

Skunks are mammals known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong odor. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown or cream colored, but all have warning coloration.

Skunk can mean:

in Biology:

• Skunk, an animal
• Skunk (cannabis), a subset of indica-dominant Cannabis strains
• Skunkweed, a name for Polemonium viscosum, a flowering plant in the genus Polemonium
• Eastern skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), a low growing, foul smelling plant in the genus Araceae

in Music:

• Skunk Anansie, a British rock band
• Skunk, an early band formed by musician Matt Sweeney
• "Skunks", a song by Manitoba from their 2003 album Up in Flames
• Skunk Rock, another name for ska punk music

in Sport:

• Skunk rule, another name for the Mercy rule in sports
• Double skunk, domination in sport after the game has been completed
• Skunk, a nickname given to supporters of Newcastle United by rival Sunderland A.F.C. fans

Others:

• Skunk River, a tributary of the Mississippi
• Skunked beer, beer that has been exposed to ultraviolet light, like sunlight, too long
• SCO Skunkware, a collection of open source software projects
• Skunk.nu, a Swedish social networking website
• Skunk Train, popular nickname for the California Western Railroad
• Skunk (weapon), non-lethal weapon used by the Israeli Defense Forces to disperse disorderly crowds
• Skunk, nickname of Jeff Baxter, American musician and defense consultant

"Skunk" is a malodorant, non-lethal weapon used for crowd control by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and marketed to militaries and law enforcement around the world. It was developed and is manufactured by Odortec, with two supporting companies, Man and Beit-Alfa Technologies. The liquid's strong odor is marketed as an improvement over other crowd control weapons (CCWs) such as rubber bullets and tear gas used by the IDF against Palestinian protestors. The IDF is criticized for its tactics during deployment, including common usages against people, businesses, and neighborhoods not involved in protests as a form of collective punishment.

Skunk was an American alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Maplewood, New Jersey. During the group's existence Skunk released two albums on Twin/Tone Records; 1989's Last American Virgin and 1991's Laid.

Skunk was the first band of now respected session guitarist Matt Sweeney, who after their demise went on to form New York City math rock quartet Chavez, and drummer Claude Coleman, Jr., best known for his over 20-year tenure playing with Ween. Also in the band for its entire history was bassist Matt Quigley, who later went on to form the art-pop group Vaganza.

While not well known during the time of their existence, they were a favorite group of Billy Corgan of the multi-platinum 90s band Smashing Pumpkins, who in 2001 joined forces with Sweeney to form the band Zwan. In the liner notes to the Pumpkins' Pisces Iscariot LP, Corgan wrote of the song " Frail and Bedazzled"

After releasing “Last American Virgin," the band asked guitarist/songwriter Tim Aaron to tour in support of the release, as well as co-write, record, and produce a 4-track cassette demo. Based on that demo, which took several months to write, Twin Tone Records agreed to finance a second album, "Laid." Although the material was already prepared, the original three members opted to become a trio at the last minute. They took one week to re-write much of the demo material for the smaller lineup.

Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore planned to release the original demo cassette (which included Aaron) on his Ecstatic Peace! record label, but the pressing was delayed indefinitely when Sweeney would not approve any artwork. In 2015, the demo resurfaced on the Frozen Frequencies record label.