skunks

Noun (1)

skunk (plural skunks)

1. (US) Any of various mammals of the subfamily Mephitinae, native to North and Central America, having a glossy black coat with white markings and two musk glands at the base of the tail for emitting a noxious smell as a defensive measure.
   • The beaſts of offence be Squunckes, Ferrets, Foxes, vvhoſe impudence ſometimes drives them to the good vvives Hen rooſt, to fill their Paunch: ſome of theſe be blacke; their furre is of much eſteeme.1634, William Wood, “Of the Beasts that Live on the Land”, in New Englands Prospect. A True, Lively, and Experimentall Description of that Part of America, Commonly Called New England; […], London...
2. (US, dated, derogatory, slang) A despicable person.
   • In fact, the term he applied to this species of human being was "skunk," and he used it freely.1913, Norman Lindsay, A Curate in Bohemia, Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co., published 1932, page 152
3. (US, dated, derogatory, slang) Anything very bad; a stinker.
   • On the other hand, many critics contend that in terms of literary quality, many of the multiple-storyline books are true skunks.1987, English Journal, volume 76, numbers 5-8, page 52
4. (US, slang) A walkover victory in sports or board games, as when the opposing side is unable to score.
5. (US, cribbage) A win by thirty or more points. (A double skunk is sixty or more, a triple skunk ninety or more.)

Noun (2)

skunk (plural skunks)

1. (US) A member of a hybrid skinhead and punk subculture.
   • In the early 1980s, certain ex-punks joined them, becoming 'skunks' – a hybrid subculture of skinheads and punks.2006, Pam Nilan, Carles Feixa, Global Youth?: Hybrid Identities, Plural Worlds, page 192

See all 13 meanings of skunk