▪ I. ˈskirmish, n.
(ˈskɜːmɪʃ)
Forms: α. 4 skarmuch, 4, 6 -moch, 5 -moche, -masche, 6 -musch(e, -mouch; 4 scharmoch, -mus; 5 scarmuche, -musche, -musshe, 6 -muss, -mouch(e, -moge; 6 skaramouche, scaramoche, -moshe. β. 4–5 skarmich, 4 -myssh, 6 -mische; 4 scarmich, -mych(e, 5 -mysshe. γ. 4–6 skyrmysshe, 5–6 -mysh, 6 -myshe, -mish; 4–6 skirmysshe (5 scir-, 6 schyr-), 6 -mysche, -mishe, 6– skirmish; 5 skermyshe, 6 -mysche, 7 -mish. δ. 6 skyrmosh, skyr-, skirmush. ε. 5–6 skermyche; 6 scir-, 6–7 skirmige, 8–9 dial. -idge; 6 scir-, 6–7 skirmage.
[The earlier forms are ad. OF. escar(a)moche, -muche, -musche, etc., ad. It. scaramuccia (cf. Sp. escaramuza, Pg. -mu{cced}a), of doubtful origin. The later forms scar-, sker-, skirmish (cf. scrimish n.) have been influenced by those forms of the vb. which are derived from OF. eskirmiss-; with the obsolete variants of these in -iche, -ige, -age, cf. scrimmage n. and the forms of rubbish.]
1. An irregular engagement between two small bodies of troops, esp. detached or outlying portions of opposing armies; a petty fight or encounter. Also occas. without article, as a mode of fighting.
| α 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1186 Þenne was þe sege sette þe Cete aboute, Skete skarmoch skelt. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus ii. 934 (Campsall MS.), Now late..we oure tales holde Of Troylus þat is to palays ryden Fro þe skarmuch. c 1475 Harl. Contin. Higden (Rolls) VIII. 533 They..made there many skarmuches. 1481 Caxton Godfrey cliv. 228 And there was the skarmoche grete & fiers. 1562 J. Shute tr. Cambini's Turk. Wars 33 They helde them contynually occupied..with scaramoshes, alarmes, and false assaultes. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. vi. 34 Not this rude kind of battell, nor these armes Are meet,..Such cruell game my scarmoges disarmes. 1601 J. Chamberlain Lett. (Camden) 115 Slaine there with a shot in an obscure scarmouch. |
| β c 1374 Chaucer Troylus ii. 611 Ascry aros at skarmyssh [v.r. scarmich] al with oute. c 1400 Destr. Troy xx. Title, Of..Skarmiches Lastyng xxx dayes Betwene the Towne & the tenttes. 1489 Caxton Faytes of A. i. xxiv. 75 To haue them fyrst at a scarmysshe ayenst the aduersaryes. |
| γ c 1400 Brut ccxxxiv. 324 Pryns Edward,..with sore skyrmisshes & fightyng and grete assautes, fought with hem. c 1440 Partonope 911 To profer Skyrmyssh to this Castell. a 1513 Fabyan Chron. v. cxviii. (1811) 94 By dayly skyrmysshes & assautes he loste moche of his people. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 267 b, The Prince..had offered them the skermysche with the light horsemen. 1592 Kyd Sp. Trag. i. ii, While they maintaine hot skirmish too and fro, Both battailes ioyne. 1688 J. S. Art of War 2 Distances for intire Doublings or Skermishes between rank and file is 3 foot. 1761 Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) IV. lv. 276 In many counties, where the people were divided, mobbish combats and skirmishes ensued. 1810 Wellington in Gurw. Desp. (1837) VI. 496 Our cavalry had a skirmish with the enemy..in which they had the advantage. 1874 Green Short Hist. iii. §5. 141 At this critical moment..the Earl fell in an Irish skirmish. |
| δ 1514 in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. I. 313 Who hathe had manye skyrmoshys withe hyme. 1560 Whitehorne Ord. Souldiours (1588) 352 Y⊇ assaultes..which be called skirmushes be easilie withstood. |
| ε 1556 Chron. Grey Friars (Camden) 45 Thys yere..was a grete skermyche in the north abowte Carlelle. 1567 Drant Hor. Ep. i. i. B viij, The valiant man of warre May..liue at lengthe a parte from scirmage farre. 1581 B. Rich Farew. (1846) 8 The orders of sondrie battailes, and the maner of skirmiges. 1623 in Foster Eng. Factories Ind. (1908) II. 240 In the heate of scermadge. 1680 C. Ness Ch. Hist. 96 Save onely two poor spirts, or small skirmages. c 1746 J. Collier (Tim Bobbin) View Lanc. Dial. Wks. (1775) 46 While the Skirmidge lastut. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia 305 Skirmidge, a skirmish. 1854 A. E. Baker Northampt. Gloss. |
† 2. A body of skirmishers.
Obs.| 1562 J. Shute tr. Cambini's Turk. Wars 23 b, Minutius forthwith sent forthe his lighte armed men and attacked the scaramoche. |
3. transf. a. Any contest or encounter.
| 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 43 Bitter bruntes and shrewde skyrmishes of aduersitie. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado i. i. 64 They neuer meet, but there's a skirmish of wit between them. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 58 Incountring still in loues sweete skirmiges. 1690 C. Ness Hist. O. & N. Test. I. 300 His violent wrestling was not..a short skirmish of a few day-hours. 1724 De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 74, I had a new skirmish with him whose the money should be. 1823 Lamb Elia ii. Poor Relations, Many and hot were the skirmishes on this topic. 1853 Kane Grinnell Exp. l. (1856) 472 In two days more, after a closing skirmish with the ice⁓pack, we headed homeward. |
b. An action or proceeding of a slight character; a slight display
of something.
| 1651 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. ii. xxvi. (1739) 114 By light skirmishes of borrowing smaller sums of money,..and paying them again, thereby to gain credit for greater sums. 1681 J. Flavel Right. Man's Ref. 166 The fury of his anger, not some light skirmish of his judgment. |
c. A scamper, scramble.
| 1835 T. Arnold in Life & Corr. (1844) I. vii. 428, I never have regarded a regular walk along a road..as exercise... A skirmish over the country is a very different thing. |
4. attrib., as
skirmish-drill,
skirmish-line.
| 1868 Upton Inf. Tactics §638 In the skirmish-drill the officers..will constantly aim to impress each man with the idea of his individuality. 1876 N. Amer. Rev. CXXIII. 241 The wonderful exploits on the skirmish-line and at the outposts. |
▪ II. skirmish, v. (
ˈskɜːmɪʃ)
Forms: α. 5
scarmuche,
-mushe, 5–6
-musshe, 6
-musch,
-mush,
-muss,
-mosh;
skarmuss. β. 5–6
scarmysshe, 5
-myshe,
-mish, 6
-missh,
-mesh; 5
scarmiss,
-mys; 5
skarmysshe, 6
-misch,
-mis. γ. 5
scermish, 5– 6
skyrmysshe, 6
-myshe,
-mish,
skirmishe,
-misch, 6–
skirmish (7
scir-). δ. 6
skyrmyche, 9
dial. -mage.
[The α-forms are ad. OF. escar(a)mucher, -mucier, ad. It. scaramucciare (cf. Sp. escaramuzar, Pg. -mu{cced}ar), f. scaramuccia: see prec. The forms in -ish are influenced by, or directly based on, OF. eskirmiss-, eskermiss-, the lengthened stem of eskermir, etc.: see skirm v.] 1. a. intr. To engage in a skirmish or irregular encounter; to fight in small parties. Freq.
const. with.
| α c 1470 Contin. Brut cclix. 528 Þe Duke..gat peple to him, which come out & scarmusshed [1482 Caxton scar⁓muched] with þame of Caleys. 1562 J. Shute tr. Cambini's Turk. Wars 33 They salied forth daiely and scaramoshed with them. 1598 Barret Theor. Wars iii. ii. 46 Any part of shot or pikes..set to defend any straight, or to scarmush. |
| β c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 282 Þus men bygonne & scar⁓mysshute fast, Þe twey hostes bothe y-fere. c 1475 Partenay 2079 On a day he went, to scarmish with thaim. |
| γ a 1513 Fabyan Chron. vii. (1811) 512 He..issuyd boldly agayne y⊇ foresayd persones and skyrmysshed with them. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. IV, 21 Thei with light horses began to skirmishe with his hoste. 1617 Moryson Itin. ii. 141 Sir John Barkeley..skirmishing with them, killed some dead in the place. 1683 Brit. Spec. 88 Next Morning the Britains..skirmished with the Roman Horse. 1796 Morse Amer. Geogr. I. 123 Thence to Acomac, where he skirmished with some Indians. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xv. III. 607 Some of his ships should skirmish with the enemy: but the great body of his fleet should not be risked. |
| δ 1530 Palsgr. 720/1 They dyd skyrmyche togyther syxe dayes or ever the batayles joyned. 1841 Hartshorne Salop. Ant. Gloss., Skirmage, to skirmish. |
b. In
fig. uses or contexts.
| 1587 Turberv. Trag. Tales 17 Bebrusht with bryers her broosed body bled, The brambles skirmishte had with every vayne. 1601 Weever Mirr. Mart. A viij b, But inward Senses skirmish in the night. 1648 Crashaw Delights of Muses 20 Awakes his Lute,..and ere the warre begin, He lightly skirmishes on every string. 1751 Johnson Rambler No. 96 ¶11 [Falsehood] sometimes waited the attack; but always endeavoured to skirmish at a distance. 1886 Gladstone in Times 9 Apr. 5/5 We should no longer fence or skirmish with this question... We should come to close quarters with it. |
c. colloq. (
orig. U.S.). To make excursions in order to see what one can find; to scout
round in search of something.
| 1864 ‘Mark Twain’ in Harte & ‘Twain’ Sk. Sixties (1926) 129 His first cousin..is a skirmisher and is with the parson—he goes through the camp-meetings and skirmishes for raw converts. 1869 ― Innocents Abroad ix. 86 When the commissary department fails they ‘skirmish’, as Jack terms it in his sinful, slangy way. 1893 M. Holley Samantha at World's Fair xix. 608 The males, from creation down, have been left free to skirmish round and git a livin' for themselves. 1894 ‘R. Andom’ We Three & Troddles xxiii. 220 He left the room to skirmish after a clean handkerchief. Ibid. xxiv. 231 We had them downstairs and into the cab before they could skirmish after more substantial fare. 1907 S. E. White Arizona Nights 17 We skirmished around and found a condemned army pack saddle with aparejos. |
† 2. To fence; to make flourishes with a weapon.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) IV. 399 Þan Nero made oon skirmysshe above Seneca his heed with a bryght swerd. c 1450 Merlin xxxii. 648 He myght not se where to smyte, and be-gan to scarmyshe and to grope a-boute hym with his staffe. 1582 N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. i. vii. 18 b, Then were in sight the number of twentie Moores skirmishing with their dartes. 1763 J. Brown Poet. & Music xxxvi. 97 After skirmishing for some time with their Swords, one of them (as wounded) fell down. |
† 3. a. trans. To engage or attack (an enemy) in or with a skirmish. Also
fig. Obs.| c 1500 Melusine 273 Yonder is the kyng vryan.., that scarmyssheth theire nauye. a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) II. 109 They..fell to the Inglischemen, and skirmischit thame so haitlie that they caussit thame reteir. 1599 Hakluyt Voy. II. i. 83 The great quantity of artillery..skirmished them so well [etc.]. 1679 Alsop Melius Inq. ii. iii. 245 To war with God or skirmish the Scripture is no approved method to secure Peace. |
† b. fig. To win by skirmish.
Obs.—1| a 1797 Walpole Geo. II (1847) II. viii. 271 Fox even skirmished his borough from Dr. Hay. |