Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Origin: Perhaps from a Scandinavian language

skid

2 noun
     
Related topics: Transport
skid2 [countable]
1

sliding movement

a sudden sliding movement of a vehicle that you cannot control:
Turn the car towards the skid if you lose control of it.
He slammed on the brakes and we went into a long skid (=started to skid).
2

on the skids

informal in a situation that is bad and getting worse:
He's been on the skids since losing his job.
3

put the skids under something

British English informal to make it likely or certain that something will fail:
The recession put the skids under his plans for starting a new business.
4

sport

[usually singular] American English a period of time during which a person or team is not successful - used in news reports:
The Red Sox victory ended a six-game skid.
5

aircraft

TTA a flat narrow part that is under some aircraft such as helicopters, and is used in addition to wheels for landing
6

used to lift/move

[usually plural]TT a piece of wood that is put under a heavy object to lift or move it
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary