Find more facts and information on our topic page about
skunk
skunk
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
|
2009
|
© The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information)
Copyright
skunk
/ skəngk/
•
n.
a cat-sized American mammal (Mephitis and other genera) of the weasel family, with distinctive black-and-white-striped fur. When threatened, it squirts a fine spray of foul-smelling irritant liquid from its anal glands toward its attacker.
∎
the fur of the skunk.
∎ inf.
a contemptible person.
•
v. [tr.] inf.
1. (often be skunked)
defeat (someone) overwhelmingly in a game or contest, esp. by preventing them from scoring at all.
2. dated
fail to pay (a bill or creditor).
ORIGIN: mid 17th cent.: from Massachusett squunck.
Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
|
Skunks! Could we help these little stinkers?
Magazine article from: Highlights for Children; 8/1/2001; ; 700+ words
; ...and cookies to a skunk. So with grubs in...field. Warning! The skunks seemed to pay little...feet away from a skunk you are almost invisible to it. But skunks are far from defenseless...four feet away. The skunks "froze" as they...straight up. This is a skunk's first warning...
|
 "The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH)")
|
KEEPING SKUNKS AS PETS TRI-STATE FAMILIES ARE INVITING THE CRITTERS INTO THEIR HOMES.(EAST ZONE)
Newspaper article from: The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH); 5/30/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...have invited the skunk inside, and a...organization, Skunks as Pets Inc...everybody should own a skunk,'' said Brown...can bite.'' Skunks are similar to...playing with a skunk to help protect your fingers. Skunks have sharp teeth...
|
 "The Dallas Morning News (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service)")
|
Skunk tales: Making scents of it all.
Newspaper article from: The Dallas Morning News (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service); 3/13/2003; 700+ words
; ...turned up one dead skunk per three highway...liable to see dead skunks along the highway...the institute's skunk authority and has...study of striped skunks in the Houston...contact with a rabid skunk, but dogs often fight with skunks. As long as they...
|
 "Record (Stockton, CA)")
|
Skunks turn up the funk in S.J.: Stinky critters ready for coming out party.
Newspaper article from: Record (Stockton, CA); 5/30/2006; 700+ words
; ...skunk is the only good skunk." Odor might be the...neighborhoods that sit on prime skunk habitat. Skunks burrow into the ground...shoot them. Releasing skunks into the wild would be...in Lodi. An average skunk spray travels up to 10...
|
|
Skunk tales: Making scents of it all.(The Dallas Morning News)
Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service; 3/19/2003; ; 700+ words
; ...turned up one dead skunk per three highway...liable to see dead skunks along the highway...the institute's skunk authority and has...study of striped skunks in the Houston...contact with a rabid skunk, but dogs often fight with skunks. As long as they...
|
 "The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)")
|
SKUNKS TAKE VILLAGE; LIVERPOOL RESIDENTS SAY NEIGHBORS ARE FEEDING THEM.(Local)
Newspaper article from: The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY); 8/26/2008; 700+ words
; ...neighborhood has a skunk problem. An open...and food for the skunks, say residents of...documented cases of skunks entering homes through...As long as the skunk does not feel threatened...there's been a skunk problem here for...this time of year. Skunks hide in the winter...
|
|
SKUNK OWNERS BEG FOR WHIFF OF RESPECT
Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 1/22/2001; ; 700+ words
; ...caution that wild skunks can be dangerous...from plundering skunk dens in search of...unvaccinated dogs, not skunks. "The wild [skunk] population and...laws that require skunks be killed for testing...they bite someone. Skunk owners "feel strongly...
|
 "Norridge News (IL)")
|
Skunks scatter and phone calls recede
Newspaper article from: Norridge News (IL); 8/10/2000; ; 598 words
; ...calls means fewer skunks - but not that the skunk situation is over...again, obviously by skunks that had escaped us...Saturday, a baby skunk turned up in one of...a hat made from a skunk carcass. "Skunks just aren't as cute...
|
 "Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)")
|
Skunk tales.(Neighbor)
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 3/9/2009; 700+ words
; ...gasping for breath. Skunk! The fragrant presence of skunks is particularly...cross paths with skunks do not do not end...mammals. The striped skunk is perhaps the...are youAEll see a skunk or two this month...or "loves." Skunks are polygamous...
|
 "Sun Publications (IL)")
|
SKUNKS IN SUBURBIA
Newspaper article from: Sun Publications (IL); 8/6/1999; 700+ words
; ...Naperville to remove eight skunks from under a stoop...summoned to corral a skunk on the lose in a hotel...to get at the animal. Skunks that are trapped in the...control the multiplying skunk population, Pettinelli said, but also because skunks are primarily the main...
|
|
Skunks
Encyclopedia entry from: The Gale Encyclopedia of Science
...is white. These skunks are smaller than...the pygmy spotted skunk ( S. pygmaea ) perhaps...spring, the young skunks are usually independent by fall. If a skunk can survive rabies...rabies. A rabid skunk does not give the warnings that other skunks do. They just attack...
|
|
skunk
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
...recognize and avoid skunks, which are consequently...openly. The two common skunks of the United States, the striped skunk and the spotted skunk...23 cm) long. This skunk balances on its front...and South American skunks, species of the genus...
|
|
Skunk Works
Encyclopedia entry from: Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security
Skunk Works "Skunk Works" is the nickname for the headquarters of advanced development programs...1943 by what was then known as the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, the Skunk Works has been the birthplace of numerous extraordinary aircraft, including...
|
|
Skunk Anansie
Book article from: Contemporary Musicians
Skunk Anansie Rock band For the Record…...London, England, in February of 1994, Skunk Anansie—named after the black...and rock fans immediately recognized that Skunk Anansie, described as Grace Jones meets...
|
|
skunk cabbage
Book article from: The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
skunk cab·bage • n. a North American plant (genera Lysichitum and Symplocarpus ) of the arum family, the flower of which has a distinctive smell.
|
