skeet

Etymology 1

Pseudo-archaic alteration of shoot, perhaps with reference to Old Norse skjóta; compare Scots skite (“to dart, to shoot”). The name for a form of trapshooting is attested from the 1920s, see quotations below. Senses related to ejaculation of semen likely derive from this, but compare also squirt, skite, or scoot. The word skeet is attested in reference to working class persons in US English from the 19th century, or the Newfoundland and Labrador regionalism may derive from other terms such as skite or skeeter; see quotation below.

noun

1. (uncountable) A form of trapshooting using clay targets to simulate birds in flight.
   THE ARTICLE on the sport of Skeet that appeared in the June issue of WILD LIFE described the layout of the Skeet field, installation of the traps, and the rules and regulations for Skeet shooting. 1929, “Skeet”, in West Virginia Wildlife, volume 7, page 22
   The longer I shoot skeet the more convinced I am that it is the greatest game ever devised for the users of shotguns. Skeet has brought home to shooters the need of properly fitting guns and the benefit of straighter stocks 1932, Charles Askins, “Notes on skeet”, in Outdoor Life, page 40
   To Mrs. Gertrude Hurlbutt, Montana rancher’s wife, went a $100 prize in 1926 from National Sportsman and Hunting and Fishing magazines for christening their newly sponsored shotgun sport “skeet” – Scandinavian derivation, meaning “to shoot.”] [1940, “In the Spring—Skeet”, in Scientific American, page 363
   Skeet started informally in 1920 as off-season practice for bird hunting, so it needed few rules. It became more formally organized in 1926 when the National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA) was formed. 2007, King Heiple, Mastering Skeet, page 163
2. (countable, poker) A hand consisting of a 9, a 5, a 2, and two other cards lower than 9.
3. (uncountable, slang, African-American Vernacular) The ejaculation of semen.
4. (countable, Newfoundland, Labrador, slang) A young working-class person who may be loud, disruptive and poorly educated.
   A small part at least of the language associated with younger speakers originates in local words that appear to have undergone local meaning change. A good example is skeet. This term may be related to skite which in neighbouring Prince Edward Island can mean a 'young scoundrel' (Pratt 1988), or to the American terms skeester/skeeter, definied by the Dictionary of American Regional English (Cassidy and Hall 1985) as 'rascal, rogue'. If older NLE speakers know this word at all, they would probably use it in this sense. Among younger speakers, however, it has much the same meaning as such British slang terms as chav, charver or scally, or even the North American white trash.] [2010, Sandra Clarke, Newfoundland and Labrador English, page 151

verb

1. (transitive, intransitive, of fluids) To shoot or spray.
   ‘Aoow! You skeeted the water right in my ear. It’s busted my eardrum. I can’t even hear.’ ‘Gimme here. Let me skeet some.’ 2004, Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
   When her left hook connected with his nose, blood skeeted out and stained her top. 2004, Camika C Spencer, He Had It Coming
2. (African-American Vernacular, slang) To ejaculate.
   To the window (To the window). To the wall (To the wall). Till the sweat drop down my balls (My balls). Till all these bitches crawl (Crawl). Till all skeet skeet motherfucker (Motherfucker). 2002-10-08, “Get Low” (track 19), in Kings of Crunk, performed by Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz
   Ya wanna skeet, skeet ya bout to get ya feelins hurt / Cause I beat that cat with a dog 2005, “Wait (The Whisper Song)”, in U.S.A. - United State of Atlanta, performed by Ying Yang Twins

Etymology 2

Unknown. Compare Icelandic skeið (“spoon”), from Old Norse skeið (“a sheath”). Attested from the 15th century; see quotation below.

noun

1. (obsolete) A long-handled shovel or scoop.
   My werk & labour schal be to tellyn what is þis wose of þe vij. dedly synnes, & how ʒe schul caste out þis wose, ffirst wyth with a skeet of contricyoun, and after wyth a skauell of confession, and þanne schouelyn out clene þe crummys, wyth þe schouele of satisfaccyoun. My work and labor shall be to tell what is this ooze of the deadly sins, and how they shall cast out this ooze, first with the skeet of contrition and after with the spade of confession, and then shovel out the crumbs cleanly with the shovel of satisfaction. c. 1440, Arthur Brandeis, editor, Jacob's well : an Englisht treatise on the cleansing of man's conscience, published 1900, page 2
2. (nautical) A scoop with a long handle, used to wash the sides of a vessel and formerly to wet the sails or deck.
   The best method for wetting the after sails is with a garden syringe or small engine[…] For the head sails a skeet made of tough ash, having a good long handle ; the head or skeeting part curves scimitar fashion, to be about three and a half feet in length, and scooped out an inch and a half in width by two and a half inches in depth 1862, Vanderdecken [William Cooper], The Yacht Sailor, page 131

verb

1. (nautical, dated) To wet the sails or deck of a vessel.
   It is a customary rule in all sailing matches that the sails of competing vessels should not be skeeted (i.e. wetted), except when the vessel is on a wind 1870, Henry Coleman Folkard, The Sailing Boat, page 161

Etymology 3

Uncertain. Compare Manx skeetagh (“nosy”, adverb). Compare also English peek (“to look slyly; a quick glance”, verb or noun) or skit (“to caper; to be skittish”, verb).

noun

1. (Isle of Man) news or gossip

verb

1. (Isle of Man) to look through the front windows of somebody else's house

Etymology 4

Blend of sky + tweet, from the resemblance to tweets posted on Twitter.

noun

1. (Internet slang) A post on the Bluesky social media platform.
   Bluesky’s users appear to be having fun with the app’s similarities to Twitter, including calling posts on the app “skeets,” as a play on tweets. Not even a plea from Ms. Graber on Thursday to change that name seems to have deterred them.] [2023 April 29, Sheera Frenkel, “Interest Builds Over Bluesky, A Social Site Akin to Twitter”, in New York Times, page B3

verb

1. (Internet slang) To create a skeet.