skid

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to slide suddenly or sideways across a surface with little or no control

   The truck skidded on black ice and stopped across both lanes.

2. 2
   noun

   a sudden uncontrolled sliding movement

   The driver corrected the skid before the car reached the barrier.

3. 3
   noun

   a runner or supporting beam beneath an aircraft or heavy object, used for landing, support, or movement

   The helicopter settled gently onto its skids beside the cabin.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Skid first appeared in the early 17th century meaning “supporting beam” and may be related to Old Norse skíth, “billet” or “snowshoe.” The verb initially meant “fasten a skid to a wheel to slow its motion” and later developed the sense “slip.” The American expression hit the skids arose from the use of wooden rollers called skids to move heavy objects. Skid row developed in the mid-20th century from late-19th-century skid road, which originally meant a part of town frequented by loggers.

Probably from a Scandinavian source related to Old Norse skid ("stick of wood"), the same family as ski. The noun first denoted a beam or plank placed under a heavy object; the verb originally meant to stop a wheel with such a block. Modern sliding senses grew from a blocked wheel slipping instead of turning.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary