skunk at a garden party
Within a group, someone who is unwelcome and actively avoided.
"You're making us all feel uncomfortable and uneasy. You're a skunk at a garden party, to put it bluntly."
skunk
/skʌŋk/
noun 8verb 3
Collocations
5ADJ.
cowardly, drunk, last, used
VERB + SKUNK
avoid, call, called, hitting, like, smell, smells, sprayed
SKUNK + NOUN
backyard, cabbage, den, emits, man, night
PREP.
in, on
ADV.
sometimes
Definitions
noun
1
Any of various small mammals, of most genera of the family Mephitidae, native to North and Central America, having a glossy black with a white coat and two musk glands at the base of the tail for emitting a noxious smell as a defensive meas
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.
2
A despicable person.
In fact, the term he applied to this species of human being was "skunk," and he used it freely.
3
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.
4
A walkover victory in sports or board games, as when the opposing side is unable to score.
5
A win by thirty or more points. (A double skunk is sixty or more, a triple skunk ninety or more.)
verb
1
To defeat so badly as to prevent any opposing points.
I skunked him at cards.
We fished all day but the lake skunked us.
2
To win by thirty or more points.
3
To go bad, to spoil.
noun
1
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.
2011, Gerard DeGroot (quoting Brown), Seventies Unplugged […] mods, skins, suedes, smoothies, punks, skunks, rude boys, soul boys and headbangers […]
Thesaurus
Synonyms
noun — American musteline mammal typically ejecting an intensely ma
noun — a defeat in a game where one side fails to score
- shutout
verb — defeat by a lurch
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
601
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.
Wiktionary02
In fact, the term he applied to this species of human being was "skunk," and he used it freely.
Wiktionary03
On the other hand, many critics contend that in terms of literary quality, many of the multiple-storyline books are true skunks.
Wiktionary04
I skunked him at cards.
Wiktionary05
We fished all day but the lake skunked us.
Wiktionary06
In the early 1980s, certain ex-punks joined them, becoming 'skunks' – a hybrid subculture of skinheads and punks.
WiktionaryUsage Notes
i Register
In some senses, skunk is marked as dated, derogatory, slang, US. Watch for register when choosing this word.
Your note
not saved0 chars