skate 1
— skateable , adj.
/skayt/ , n. , v. , skated, skating .
n.
1. See ice skate (def. 1).
2. See roller skate .
3. the blade of an ice skate.
4. a skid on a lifeboat to facilitate launching from a listing ship.
5. get or put one's skates on , Brit. Informal. to make haste.
v.i.
6. to glide or propel oneself over ice, the ground, etc., on skates.
7. to glide or slide smoothly along.
8. Slang. to shirk one's duty; loaf.
9. (of the tone arm on a record player) to swing toward the spindle while a record is playing.
v.t.
10. to slide (a flat) across the floor of a stage.
11. skate on thin ice , to be or place oneself in a risky or delicate situation: Taking a public stand on the question would be skating on thin ice.
[ 1640-50; orig. pl. scates schaats (sing.) skate, MD schaetse stilt (cf. ML scatia ) ]
skate 2
/skayt/ , n. , pl. ( esp. collectively ) skate , ( esp. referring to two or more kinds or species ) skates .
any of several rays of the genus Raja, usually having a pointed snout, as R. binoculata (big skate) , inhabiting waters along the Pacific coast of the U.S., growing to a length of 8 ft. (2.4 m).
[ 1300-50; ME scate skati ]
skate 3
/skayt/ , n. Slang.
1. a person; fellow: He's a good skate.
2. a contemptible person.
3. an inferior, decrepit horse; nag.
[ perh. special use of SKATE 2 ]