skate2 (skat)

[Formerly also scate; a later form, a umed as the sing. of the supposed pl. skates, also written skeates, scheets, the proper sing., OF. eschace, escha e, F. écha e, a stilt, trestle, ML. scacia, scatia, a stilt: see scatches. Cf. Icel. is - leggir, 'ice-bones,' shin-bones of sheep used for skates; and see skee, skid.] A contrivance for enabling a person to glide swiftly on ice, consisting of a steel runner fixed IMG:content-1178.png:[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small] A, side view of American club-skate; B, bottom of the skate with runner removed. a, runner; b , heel-plate; c, sole-plate; d , riveting by which the runner is attached to the heel and sole-plates; e, e, clamps which grasp the sole when they are drawn rearward by the action of the curved slots / upon pins fixed firmly in the sole-plate. Both these clamps are pivoted at their rear extremities to a bar g , connected by a winged adjusting-screw h to a collar 1 , which is pivoted to the heel-clamp j; k, spur which engages the front part of the heel when the heel-clamp is drawn forward; 7, toggle-lever, by which the sole-clamps are drawn rearward and the heel-clamp forward simultaneously. In B this lever is shown turned out; to clamp the skate to the shoe, it is pre ed inward under the sole out of sight. C is a roller-skate, in which a plate with rollers replaces the runner. either to a wooden sole provided with straps and buckles, or to a light iron or steel framework having adjustable clamps or other means of attachment to a shoe or boot. See roller skate. To my Lord Sandwich's, to Mr. Moore; and then over the Parke, where I first in my life, it being a great frost, did see people sliding with their skeates , which is a very pretty art. Pepys , Diary, Dec. 1, 1662. The Canal and Rosamond's Pond full of the rabble sliding, and with skates , if you know what those are. Swift , Journal to Stella, Jan. 31, 1711. skate2 (skāt), v . i.; pret. and pp. skated , ppr. skating . [ skate2 , n .] n.] To glide over ice and snow on skates. IMG:content-1179.png:[blocks in formation] Careful of my motion, Like the skater on ice that hardly bears him. Tennyson, Exper. in Quantity, Hendecasyllabics. 2. One of many different aquatic heteropterous insects with long legs which glide over the surface of water as if skating, as Gerridæ or Hy drobatidæ, etc.