Kell vs Skell - What's the difference?
kell | skell |
(obsolete) The caul.
(obsolete, figurative) That which covers or envelops, like a caul; a net; a fold; a film.
* Beaumont and Fletcher
(obsolete) The cocoon or chrysalis of an insect.
(slang, US, New York) a homeless person, especially one who sleeps in the New York subway.
:Did you see those two skells lying in the doorway?
(slang, US, New York) (informal police jargon) A male suspicious person or crime suspect, especially a street person such as a drug dealer, pimp or panhandler. (Compare scumbag.) Popularized on the American TV police drama NYPD Blue .
(slang) To fall off or fall over
skel]
*Dictionary of American Regional English , by Joan Houston Hall, 2002[http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/dare/DYSADARE.html]
As nouns the difference between kell and skell
is that kell is the caul while skell is a homeless person, especially one who sleeps in the New York subway.As a verb skell is
to fall off or fall over.kell
English
Etymology 1
Compare caul.Noun
(en noun)- I'll have him cut to the kell .
- (Ben Jonson)
Etymology 2
Etymology 3
A modification of kale.skell
English
Alternative forms
*skelNoun
(en noun)Synonyms
* See alsoVerb
(skell)- She went skelling over on the ice.