skimble-scamble

American

[skim-buhl-skam-buhl, skim-uhl-skam-uhl] / ˈskɪm bəlˌskæm bəl, ˈskɪm əlˌskæm əl /

Or skimble-skamble

adjective

rambling; nonsensical; confused.

a skimble-scamble explanation.

skimble-scamble British

/ ˈskɪmbəlˈskæmbəl /

adjective

rambling; confused

"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

noun

meaningless discourse

"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 skimble-scamble

First recorded in 1590–1600; reduplication of Scots and British dialect scamble “to struggle, trample”

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.

What can a director do with such supererogatory skimble-scamble?

From Time Magazine Archive

As you are perfectly aware, all that I vented was just a deal of skimble-scamble stuff, a verbal syllabub of balderdash.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023