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skiffle

1 American  
[skif-uhl] / ˈskɪf əl /

verb (used with object)

skiffled, skiffling
  1. knob.


skiffle 2 American  
[skif-uhl] / ˈskɪf əl /

noun

  1. a jazz style of the 1920s deriving from blues, ragtime, and folk music, played by bands made up of both standard and improvised instruments.

  2. a style of popular music developed in England during the 1950s, deriving from hillbilly music and rock-'n'-roll, and played on a heterogeneous group of instruments, as guitar, washboard, ceramic jug, washtub, and kazoo.


skiffle 1 British  
/ ˈskɪfəl /

noun

  1. a style of popular music of the 1950s, played chiefly on guitars and improvised percussion instruments

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

skiffle 2 British  
/ ˈskɪfəl /

noun

  1. dialect a drizzle

    a skiffle of rain

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of skiffle1

Perhaps akin to scabble

Origin of skiffle2

First recorded in 1920–25; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Already playing the proto-rock of skiffle, Nash skipped school to score tickets to see Bill Haley & His Comets with Clarke, days after his 15th birthday.

From New York Times • May 10, 2023

Krauss: I love Fairport Convention and skiffle and all the things that came from that.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2022

Comedian and skiffle historian Mark Lamarr added: "I knew him well and would often visit him at his home. You couldn't wish to meet a kinder, considerate, intelligent and above all musical gentlemen."

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2021

After settling in Connecticut in 1997, Mr. Valentine returned to his skiffle roots, forming the band Skiffledog, which toured the United States and released two albums.

From Washington Post • Jan. 31, 2021

Rhythmically, the song was a mix of skiffle, Caribbean and the Latin American I’ve loved ever since hearing Edmundo Ros on the radio with my mum.

From The Guardian • Aug. 10, 2020

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