From wsmith@wordsmith.org Sun Jun 13 21:12:41 1999 Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 00:13:29 -0400 From: Wordsmith To: linguaphile@wordsmith.org Subject: A.Word.A.Day--skulk skulk (skulk) verb intr. 1. To lie in hiding, as out of cowardice or bad conscience; lurk. 2. To move about stealthily. 3. To evade work or obligation; shirk. noun 1. One who hides, lurks, or practices evasion. 2. A congregation of vermin, especially foxes, or of thieves. [Middle English skulken, of Scandinavian origin.] "Heaven's Acre Wildlife Center has a gaggle of geese, a skulk of foxes, an over-abundance of raccoons and a singular problem - it violates city zoning." Gary Gerhardt, Wildlife Rehab Center Runs Into the Teeth of Arvada's Zoning Rules, Denver Rocky Mountain News, 6 Aug 1998. This week's theme: collective nouns. ........................................................................... Success is not measured by the position one has reached in life, rather by the obstacles overcome while trying to succeed. -Booker T. Washington Q: Tomorrow is my friend's birthday and I forgot to send her a gift. Help! A: Give the gift of words. Send a gift subscription of A.Word.A.Day at http://www.wordsmith.org/awad/gift.html . It is the gift that keeps on giving the whole year long, and beyond. Pronunciation: http://www.wordsmith.org/words/skulk.wav http://www.wordsmith.org/words/skulk.ram