skedaddle
Preserved but no longer current.
To go off in a hurry. The American war introduced this new and amusing word. A Northerner who retreated "retired upon his supports," but a Southerner was said to SKEDADDLE. The Times remarked on the word, and Lord Hill wrote to prove that it was excellent Scotch. The Americans only misapply the word, which means, in Dumfries, "to spill"—milkmaids, for example, saying, "You are SKEDADDLING all that milk." The Yankees therefore adopted the term, and altered the application.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “skedaddle” mean?
To go off in a hurry. The American war introduced this new and amusing word. A Northerner who retreated "retired upon his supports," but a Southerner was said to SKEDADDLE. The Times remarked on the word, and Lord Hill wrote to prove that it was excellent Scotch. The Americans only misapply the word, which means, in Dumfries, "to spill"—milkmaids, for example, saying, "You are SKEDADDLING all that milk." The Yankees therefore adopted the term, and altered the application.
Is “skedaddle” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.