scrimshank

American  

[skrim-shangk] / ˈskrɪmˌʃæŋk /

verb (used without object)

British Slang.

1. to avoid one's obligations or share of work, especially in the military; shirk.

   He was unpopular in the squad because he scrimshanked whenever he could.

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scrimshank British  

/ ˈskrɪmˌʃæŋk /

verb

1. slang  (intr) military to shirk work

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Other Word Forms

• scrimshanker noun

Etymology

Origin of scrimshank

First recorded in 1885–90; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Now the Pentlands are old John, a rugged figure with a wild red mare and a study smelling of woodsmoke, dogs, apples and whiskey; his wife, a wretched lunatic shut in the mansion's east wing since the birth of her son; Anson Pentland, that son, the scrimshank genealogist; Olivia, the Chicago politician's daughter whom Anson only married to produce the necessary heir; Sybil, their alert daughter, and Jack, the sickly heir, whose funeral is celebrated with fitting Pentland pomp on a stony hill in his sixteenth year.

From Time Magazine Archive