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Skell vs Skelly - What's the difference?

skell | skelly |

As nouns the difference between skell and skelly

is that skell is a homeless person, especially one who sleeps in the New York subway while skelly is skully (the game.

As verbs the difference between skell and skelly

is that skell is to fall off or fall over while skelly is to squint.

skell

English

Alternative forms

*skel

Noun

(en noun)
  • (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 .

    • Synonyms

    * See also

    Verb

    (skell)
  • (slang) To fall off or fall over
    • She went skelling over on the ice.

    References

    *The City in Slang, New York Life and Popular Speech , by Irving Lewis Allen, 1993.[http://www.stwing.upenn.edu/~sepinwal/faq.html
  • skel]
    • *Dictionary of American Regional English , by Joan Houston Hall, 2002[http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/dare/DYSADARE.html]

    skelly

    English

    Etymology 1

    Noun

    (-)
  • skully (the game)

    • Etymology 2

    Noun

    (skellies)
  • (UK, Scotland, dialect) A squint.

    • Verb

  • (UK, Scotland, dialect) To squint.
    • (Sir Walter Scott)
    (Webster 1913)