/hop"skoch'/ , n.
1. a children's game in which a player tosses or kicks a small flat stone, beanbag, or other object into one of several numbered sections of a diagram marked on the pavement or ground and then hops on one foot over the lines from section to section and picks up the stone or object, usually while standing on one foot in an adjacent section.
v.i. Informal.
2. to jump or leap from one place to another: Small birds hopscotched on the lawn.
3. to journey quickly and directly from one usually far place to another: ambassadors hopscotching from Moscow to Paris to London.
4. to move or pass through something, as a geographical area or a field of endeavor, making many brief stops: The candidate hopscotched through four states in two days.
5. to shift from one thing to another quickly or abruptly: The story hopscotches from the present to the past in a confusing way.
v.t. Informal.
6. to jump or leap over.
7. to cross over (a large area or distance) in one continuous action: She hopscotches the country in her private plane.
8. to cross or travel through erratically or abruptly: The escaped convicts hopscotched the valley.
[ 1795-1805; HOP 1 + SCOTCH 1 ]