Upon entering the little country store, the stranger noticed a sign saying "DANGER! BEWARE OF DOG!" posted on the glass door.
Inside he noticed a harmless old hound dog asleep on the floor beside the cash register.
He asked the store manager, "Is that the dog folks are supposed to beware of?"
"Yep, that"s him," he replied.
The stranger couldn"t help but be amused.
"That certainly doesn"t look like a dangerous dog to me. Why in the world would you post that sign?"
"Because," the owner replied, "before I posted that sign, people kept tripping over him."
- (in pl.) Numbers from 60 to 69, esp. The years of a century or of a person's life. sixtieth adj. & n. [old english]
SKATE
—n. - boot with a blade attached for gliding on ice; this blade.
- = *roller-skate. —v. (-ting) 1 a move on skates. B perform (a specified figure) on skates.
- (foll. By over) refer fleetingly to, disregard. get one's skates on slang make haste. Skate on thin ice colloq. Behave rashly, risk danger. skater n. [dutch schaats from french]
- n. (pl. Same or -s) large flat marine fish used as food. [old norse]
SKEIN
n. - loosely-coiled bundle of yarn or thread.
- flock of wild geese etc. In flight. [french escaigne]
SKIFF
n. Light rowing- or sculling-boat. [french esquif: related to *ship]
SKILL
n. (often foll. By in) ability to do something well; technique, expertise. [old norse, = difference]
SKIMP
v. - (often followed by on) economize; use a meagre or insufficient amount of, stint.
- (often foll. By in) supply (a person etc.) Meagrely with food etc.
- do hastily or carelessly. [cf. *scrimp]
SKINT
adj. Slang having no money left. [= skinned]
SKIRL
—n. Shrill sound, esp. Of bagpipes. —v. Make a skirl. [probably scandinavian]
SKIRT
—n. - woman's garment hanging from the waist.
- the part of a coat etc. Hanging below the waist.
- hanging part at the base of a hovercraft.
- (in sing. Or pl.) Edge, border, extreme part.
- (also bit of skirt) slang offens. Woman.
- (in full skirt of beef etc.) Cut of meat from the flank or diaphragm. —v. (often foll. By around) 1 go or lie along or round the edge of.
- avoid dealing with (an issue etc.). [old norse: related to *shirt]
SKIVE
v. (-ving) (often followed by off) slang evade work; play truant. skiver n. [old norse]
