scuttle

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A small opening or hatch with a movable lid in the deck or hull of a ship or in the roof, wall, or floor of a building.
2. n. The lid or hatch of such an opening.
3. v. Nautical To cut or open a hole or holes in (a ship's hull).
4. v. Nautical To sink (a ship) by this means.
5. v. Informal To scrap; discard: "a program [the] President . . . sought to scuttle” ( Christian Science Monitor).
6. n. A metal pail for carrying coal.
7. n. A shallow open basket for carrying vegetables, flowers, or grain.
8. v. To run or move with short hurried movements; scurry.
9. n. A hurried run.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A broad, shallow dish; a platter. Compare scuttle-dish.
2. n. A deep vessel of sheet-iron, copper, or brass, used for holding coal in small amounts; a coal-scuttle or coal-hod. See coal-scuttle.
3. n. A swabber used for cleaning a bakers' oven.
4. n. Nautical, a small hatchway or opening in the deck, with a lid for covering it; also, a like hole in the side of a ship, or through the coverings of her hatchways; by extension, a hole in general.
5. n. A square hole in the wall or roof of a house, covered with a lid; also, the lid that covers such an opening.
6. Naut, to cut holes through the bottom or sides of (a ship) for any purpose; specifically, to sink by making holes through the bottom.
7. To run hurriedly, or with short, hurried steps; hurry.
8. n. A quick pace; a short, hurried run; a mincing, affected gait.

Wiktionary

1. n. A container like an open bucket (usually to hold and carry coal).
2. n. construction A hatch that provides access to the roof from the interior of a building.
3. n. A small hatch or opening in a boat. Also, small opening in a boat or ship for draining water from open deck.
4. v. transitive To deliberately sink a ship or boat by order of the vessel's commander or owner.
5. v. by extension Undermine or thwart oneself (sometimes intentionally), or denigrate or destroy one's position or property; compare scupper.
6. v. intransitive To move hastily, to scurry

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A broad, shallow basket.
2. n. A wide-mouthed vessel for holding coal: a coal hod.
3. v. To run with affected precipitation; to hurry; to bustle; to scuddle.
4. n. A quick pace; a short run.
5. n. A small opening in an outside wall or covering, furnished with a lid.
6. n. (Naut.) A small opening or hatchway in the deck of a ship, large enough to admit a man, and with a lid for covering it, also, a like hole in the side or bottom of a ship.
7. n. An opening in the roof of a house, with a lid.
8. n. The lid or door which covers or closes an opening in a roof, wall, or the like.
9. v. To cut a hole or holes through the bottom, deck, or sides of (as of a ship), for any purpose.
10. v. To sink by making holes through the bottom of.
11. v. To defeat, frustrate, abandon, or cause to be abandoned; -- of plans, projects, actions, hopes.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. to move about or proceed hurriedly
2. n. an entrance equipped with a hatch; especially a passageway between decks of a ship
3. n. container for coal; shaped to permit pouring the coal onto the fire