Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Nautical An opening in the side of a ship at deck level to allow water to run off.
- n. An opening for draining off water, as from a floor or the roof of a building.
- v. Chiefly British To overwhelm or massacre.
- v. To ruin or destroy: "The world oil glut combined with disastrous federal energy policies to scupper Alberta's economy” ( Christian Science Monitor).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Nautical, an opening in the side of a ship at the level of the deck, or slanting from it, to allow water to run off; also, the gutter or channel surrounding the deck, and leading to such openings: often in the plural.
Wiktionary
- n. nautical A drainage hole on the deck of a ship.
- n. architecture A similar opening in a wall or parapet that allows water to drain from a roof.
- v. UK Thwart or destroy, especially something belonging or pertaining to another; compare scuttle.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Naut.) An opening cut through the waterway and bulwarks of a ship, so that water falling on deck may flow overboard; -- called also
scupper hole .
WordNet 3.0
- n. drain that allows water on the deck of a vessel to flow overboard
- v. wait in hiding to attack
- v. put in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or difficult position
Etymologies
- Of unknown origin. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English scoper- (in scopernail, nail for attaching scupper-leathers to a ship), probably from scopen, to scoop, from scope, a scoop; see scoop.Perhaps from scupper1. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Race one between Alinghi and Damiani Italia saw Damiani win the first start and lead upwind only to have a erroneous 'over the line' call scupper the race which was re-started 20 minutes later.”
“He told the BBC News Channel's Straight Talk that the prime minister wanted to "scupper" his party by leaving "a legacy afterwards which is difficult". ”
“Like Love Story there's an underlying threat of a cruel fate about to scupper the lives of this mismatched yet oddly yoked pair.”
“Yeah, you might catch a few wrinkle-neck scupper trout around STL.!!!”
“But investors headed for the exits in recent days, with a particularly sharp selloff Friday, on fears that Greek politicians might scupper austerity measures demanded by international bodies as a condition of a bailout.”
The Wall Street Journal: Vote Could Reignite Emerging-Market Currencies
“Essentially, the Canadians are trying to scupper European climate protection measures to protect their interests—primarily in America.”
“Harry Redknapp has urged Los Angeles Galaxy not to scupper David Beckham's potential move to Tottenham by dragging their heels over a decision”
The Guardian: David Beckham willing to take wage cut to secure Tottenham loan
“The dynamite struck the deck in a compact package, bounded, and rolled into the port scupper.”
“Of course, weeds don't have a "purpose," least of all to deliberately scupper our best-laid plans.”
“Russia has declared its intention to scupper any attempt to force President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to step down, denouncing a push for a new United Nations security council resolution backed by the US and UK as "meddling" that could lead to conflict and military intervention.”
The Guardian: Syria resolution faces Russian opposition at UN security council
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘scupper’.
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New words
new words or spelling issues
voluble, Metagrobolize, salubrious, calumny, fugacity, withdrawal, bourse, hypertrophy, leitmotif, argot, improvident, damask and 234 more...
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phrontistery-s
from phrontistery.info
sabaton, sabbatarian, sabbulonarium, sabelline, sabin, sable, sabliere, sabot, sabretache, sabulous, saburration, saccade and 1593 more...
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Ballardian
All things descriptive from JG
Ballardoperation mindfuck, pataphysics, wahrheitssensible..., polymorphism, postprandial, covalent, stygian, lucus a non lucendo, kafkaesque, leitmotif, fugacious, ablate and 77 more...
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Vocab
goat rodeo, fardel, quotidian, deportment, opprobrium, deracinated, inculcate, desultory, orotund, chivvy, diktat, casuistry and 30 more...
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The Golden Rule
TABLE OF PROPOSED RULES TO LIVE BY
The Golden Rule Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The Silver Rule Do not do unto others what you would not have them do un...ethics, reciprocity, silver rule, karma, tit for tat, newton's third law, virtue, temperance, fortitude, prudence, justice, humanity and 44 more...
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Fun Words
Words that are fun to say....
gobbledygook, jings, crivens, hullabaloo, wheech, brouhaha, pizzazz, harum-scarum, namby-pamby, pussyfoot, frippery, pitter-patter and 333 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, S
scrunch, solace, sabotage, saccade, sacerdotal, sacrilegious, sacristy, snappy, skew, steadfast, scowl, scorch and 781 more...
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Words to Try to Use in Colloquial Spe...
surquedry, equivocate, putative, turgid, congeries, irrefragable, quiddity, zaftig, flagitious, bloviate, perfidy, compendious and 227 more...
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wunderkammer's Words
smarmy, bubkes, elucidate, togs, aeolian, carp, kibosh, bosky, ramshackle, mange, harpy, effervesce and 163 more...
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Airborn
Words and phrases from Kenneth Oppel's book, Airborn.
running lights, starboard, bow, gondola, bullhorn, rudder man, gas cell, keel, catwalk, stern, cargo bay, machinist and 152 more...
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colleen's words ii
sibilant, sundry, spindle, distaff, device, mortar, pestle, scythe, flail, thresh, frown, elementary and 495 more...
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Vocab++
Words as I learn them.
fetid, mezzanine, hiatus, austerity, subliminal, resplendent, implacable, impugn, debase, exiguous, cirque, holster and 2538 more...
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cutting words
sarcasm, sarx, sarcoptic, syssarcosis, shrew, shrewd, screed, scred, shroud, scroll, scrod, scrutiny and 326 more...
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Whaleworthy & Piratical Words
A list of favorite nautical words to be sprinkled liberally throughout speech for piratical or Melvillian effect.
batten down, back and fill, beamy, baulking, beckets, bilge, bold shore, boomjumper, breaker, larboard, abaft, ash breeze and 156 more...
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sarahatlee's Words
pants, nekkid, schadenfreude, unseasonably, illicit, glaswegian, cripes, futz, drawers, scupper, coulrophobic, redacted and 254 more...
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Red Seas Under Red Skies
Words and phrase from Scott Lynch's book, Red Seas Under Red Skies.
legate, pugnacity, weevil, steady as a dry-d..., chit, sans, apprise, forfend, ken, expatriate, enclave, scrubs and 220 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for scupper.

reesetee *staring* Jun 4, 2009
bilby Close Encounters of the Thirteenth Kind. Jun 4, 2009