| 释义 |
skelm, n. and a.|ˈskɛlm|
Also 7 skelum, scellum, schellam, 7– skellum, skelm, 7–9 schellum, 9 skellam, 9– schelm, 20 skilum. For examples attributed to German speakers see schelm.
[ad. Du. schelm (ˈsxeləm), a. G. schelm rascal, devil, pestilence, carcass, etc. (MHG. schelme, OHG. scelmo): cf. schelm. ON. skelmir, Da. skelm, Sw. skälm are from LG.]
A. n.
1. A rascal, scamp, scoundrel, villain. Now arch. (except in S. Afr.).
1611B. Jonson Coryat's Crudities Introd. Verses, Going to steal 'em He findeth soure graspes and gripes from a Dutch Skelum. 1663Pepys Diary 3 Apr., He ripped up Hugh Peters (calling him the execrable skellum). a1693Urquhart's Rabelais iii. xlviii. 386 Pander, Knave, Rogue, Skelm, Robber or Thief. 1723Trickology 22 A Piece of Villainy peculiar to a finisht Skellum, or consummated Scoundrel. 1790Burns Tam o' Shanter 19 She tauld thee weel thou was a skellum, A blethering, blustering, drunken blellum. 1814Scott Wav. lxxi, That schellum Malcolm. 1827Scenes & Occurrences in Albany & Caffer-Land ii. 38 The Caffer flew into a violent passion, and said that he was no schelm:—that a schelm was a man that ought to be strangled. 1858A. W. Drayson Sporting Scenes xviii. 314 A thorough Cape ‘schelm’ would..beat the best English swindler living. 1888Bevis Cane Haunted Tower 194 What then ye skellum? What then? 1910D. Fairbridge That which hath Been xxiii. 281 That poor nervous woman called out in Dutch: ‘I will open the door, you schelms’. 1916J. Buchan Greenmantle iii. 35, I got into German territory all right, and then a skellum of an officer came along, and commandeered all my mules. 1939S. Cloete Watch for Dawn i. 7 A thieving skelm of a Hottentot. 1950Cape Argus 26 July 2/5 There are very few fools in Johannesburg, but a lot of skelms. 1956T. Huddleston Naught for your Comfort ii. 29 As for Absalom—he is a ‘skellum’, a ‘tsotsi’—the kind of Kaffir who ought to be sjambokked every day: it would teach him sense. 1961L. van der Post Heart of Hunter i. v. 95 ‘Moren!’ he said hoarsely, ‘you're more of a skelm than any spirit.’ 1976J. McClure Rogue Eagle v. 90 Vorster pardoned that skelm who was always breaking out of jail and shooting policemen.
2. In S. African use applied to animals.
1827G. Thompson Travels in S. Afr. 467 Both the lion and the saddle had disappeared, and nothing could be found but the horse's clean picked bones. Lucas said he could excuse the schelm for killing the horse. 1850R. G. Cumming Hunter's Life S. Afr. (1902) 8/2 Move yourselves forward, there, you skellums! 1887Rider Haggard Jess i. 6 But I am glad that you have killed the skellum (vicious beast). 1909J. P. Fitzpatrick Jock of Bushveld 260 The natives told us it was quite useless to follow it up as it was a real ‘schelm’. 1939S. Cloete Watch for Dawn v. 67 ‘I am not dead,’ Kaspar said, having quieted his horse, ‘and I do not think anything is broken,..but your horse is a skelm.’
B. attrib. or as adj. Rascally, villainous; sly; untrustworthy; of an animal: vicious, bad-tempered. Chiefly and now only S. Afr.
1673Dryden Amboyna i. i, A certain Plot, which I have long been brewing, against these Skellum English. 1801G. M. Theal Records Cape Colony (1899) IV. 442 Owing to the present hostile disposition of the Skellam Hottentots.., I sent the Euphrosyne with the Dispatch. 1827Scenes & Occurrences in Albany & Caffer-Land vii. 151 Diederik..determined on shooting it, declaring, that no schelm beast should kill his horse. 1828T. Pringle Ephemerides 114 'Tis his lair—'tis his voice! from your saddles alight, For the bold skelm-beast is preparing to fight. 1829C. Rose 4 Yrs. in S. Africa 115, I joined a party of Schelm (robber) Hottentots and Kaffers, and we had horses, and arms, and we would attack the boors' houses. 1852M. B. Hudson S. Afr. Frontier Life i. 16 We had in our drove a most skellum young mare. c1902I. Vaughan Diary (1958) 3 Joseph it is my feet that are skelm. They go by themselves, before I know. 1911L. Cohen Reminisc. Kimberley xxiii. 397 ‘Hi, skilum Pontac!’ (crack) ‘Ah! you verdompt England!’ (crack, whack, bang) and poor England would plunge into the yoke mad with pain and terror. 1972Sunday Tribune (Natal) 25 June 23 You've got to be ‘skelm’ (sly) when you're working on a project like this. |