noun
1A steady-paced dance performed to reggae music, characterized by rhythmically bending forward, raising the knees, and extending the hands palms-downwards.
- 1.1mass noun Reggae music suitable for dancing the skank to.
- ‘Planet Rock needed a blast of skank and T in the Park was just the fest to provide it.’
- 1.1mass noun Reggae music suitable for dancing the skank to.
2North American informal, derogatory A sleazy or unpleasant person.
- ‘I'm not super model pretty or a skank but I'm not ogre ugly either.’
- 2.1A woman who has many casual sexual encounters or relationships.‘At least I didn't announce my presence to the world, or dress like a skank in a dress three sizes too small for me.’
- ‘You're a skank, Karen, and clearly you're embracing your role.’
- ‘Every boy wanted to go out with Jessica, even if they claimed they didn't because she was a slut, a skank, or she had a horrible personality.’
3 informal mass noun A dirty or unpleasant substance.
verb
1no object Dance the skank or perform reggae music.
‘they were skanking to Althea and Donna's 'Uptown Top Rankin'’- ‘the older tracks saw the start of some energetic skanking’
- ‘The week will wrap up with some heavy skanking, as reggae dancing is known, as the Yeoville Recreational Centre comes alive with a Rasta revolution.’
- ‘I try nodding my head, skanking in a ragga style, foot tapping and finger waggling.’
- ‘This album will make kids think it's still cool to skank in your bedroom and not care if your mom catches you.’
- ‘You wouldn't be ashamed if you were caught skanking to this.’
- ‘Avie let the beat flow through her as she lifted her feet and arms in rhythm, and she had a lot of fun skanking with Jade.’
- ‘The year is 1998, and the group performs before an overflowing hometown hall of writhing, bouncing, pushing and skanking mop-haired kids and mod hipsters.’
2 informal with object Swindle or deceive.
- ‘they made a tidy sum skanking the tourists’
- 2.1Obtain by deception or theft.
- ‘I skanked the poster off some wall’
Origin
1950s of unknown origin.
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