scrimmage (skrimaj)

[Also scrummage, skrimmage; early mod. E. *scrimmish, scrym myshe, a var. of skirmish, q. v.] A skirmish; a confused row or contest; a tu le. If everybody's car anting about to once, each after his own men, nobody 'll find nothing in such a scrimmage as that. Kingsley, Westward Ho, xxx. Specifically, in foot - ball : (a) A confused, close struggle round the ball. And then follows rush upon rush, and scrummage upon scrummage , the ball now driven through into the schoolhouse quarters, and now into the school goal. T. Hughes, Tom Brown's School-Days, i. 5. IMG:content-0387.png:[ocr errors] (b) The act on the part of the two contesting teams of forming in opposing lines, and putting the ball in play. scrimp (skrimp), v. [Also skrimp skrimp, a ibilated shrimp; = form shrimp, and the secondary forms shram, scrump, shrump, these forms being related as crimp, cramp, crump, which may, indeed, a uming a lo of initial s, be of the same ori gin. With crimp2, crimple, crumple may be compared rimple, rumple.] I. trans. 1. To pinch or scant; limit closely; be sparing in the food, clothes, money, etc., of; deal sparingly with; straiten. I trust you winna skrimp your sell for what is needfu' for your health, since it signifies not muckle whilk o' us has the siller, if the other wants it. Scott, Heart of Mid-Lothian, xxxix. 2. To be sparing in; narrow, straiten, stint, or contract, especially through a niggard or spar ing use of allowance of something; make too small, short, or scanty; limit: as, to scrimp a coat, or the cloth for making it. Do not scrimp your phrase, But stretch it wider. Tennyson, Queen Mary, iii. 3. II. in trans . To be parsimonious or miserly: as, to save and scrimp . scrimp (skrimp), a. and n. [ II. n. A niggard; a pinching miser. [U. S.] scrimped (skrimpt), p . a . Narrow; contracted; pinched. 'A could na bear to see thee wi' thy cloak scrimpit . 5424 of time and attention as to cause him to neglect his duties, is known as scrimshawing. Scrimshawing, which, by the way, is the more acceptable form of the term, is the art, if art it be, of manufacturing useful and ornamental articles at sea. Fisheries of U. S. , V. ii. 231.