/ skɪd; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
( -dd- ) [ v ] ( usually of a vehicle ) to slide sideways or forwards in an uncontrolled way :
The car skidded on the ice and went straight into the wall.
The taxi skidded to a halt just in time.
Her foot skidded on the wet floor and she fell heavily.
■ noun
1.
the movement of a vehicle when it suddenly slides sideways in an uncontrolled way :
The motorbike went into a skid .
The skid marks on the road showed how fast the car had been travelling.
2.
a part that is underneath some aircraft, beside the wheels, and is used for landing :
the skids of a helicopter
—picture at plane
•
IDIOMS
- put the skids under sb/sth
- be on the skids
••
WORD ORIGIN
late 17th cent. (as a noun in the sense supporting beam ): perhaps related to Old Norse skíth billet, snowshoe.