- Today's Word
Skedaddle
[ski-DAD-l]
Definition
- (verb) To depart or flee quickly, often in a hurried or panicked manner. It implies a hasty retreat or a sudden rush to leave a place, usually to avoid trouble, confrontation, or an unpleasant situation.
Example
When the teacher announced a surprise quiz, the unprepared students skedaddled out of the classroom, making excuses about forgotten books and urgent appointments.
Fun Fact
The word “skedaddle” first appeared in American English around the time of the Civil War, with its exact origin being somewhat disputed. Some linguists believe it might be derived from the Irish word “sgedadol,” meaning to scatter or disperse, which could have been brought to America by Irish immigrants. Others suggest it could be related to the Scottish word “skiddle,” meaning to move quickly or hurriedly. The term gained popularity during the Civil War, where it was often used to describe soldiers fleeing from battle or deserting their posts. After the war, “skedaddle” became a common slang term for any rapid or hasty departure, often with a humorous or lighthearted connotation. Today, it remains a fun and evocative way to describe a quick getaway or a speedy exit from an undesirable situation.
(adjective) Lacking substance, interest, or mature thought; naive and simplistic in a way that reveals inexperience.
The critic dismissed the debut novel as jejune — competently written, technically adequate, and utterly devoid of anything worth remembering.
Jejune derives from the Latin jejunus, meaning “fasting” or “empty” — literally describing a stomach that has not been fed. The same root gives us jejunum, the section of the small intestine named for its tendency to be found empty after death. It entered English in the 17th century carrying its literal sense of emptiness before acquiring its figurative meaning of something intellectually or creatively hollow — content that has the form of nourishment without any of the substance.