skim

Word family

skim /skɪm/ verb (skimmed, skimming)

1 [transitiveT]REMOVE to remove something from the surface of a liquid, especially floating fat, solids, or oil 撇去〔液体表面的浮油或固体物质〕

skim something off/from something

After simmering the meat, skim the fat from the surface.

把肉用文火炖过后再撇去表面的油脂。

2 [intransitiveI, transitiveT]READ to read something quickly to find the main facts or ideas in it 略读，浏览〔以找出主要信息〕 SYN scan

Julie skimmed the sports page.

朱莉浏览了体育版。

skim through/over

Just skim through the second section to save time.

为了节省时间，第二节就浏览一下吧。

3 [intransitiveI, transitiveT]TOUCH to move along quickly over a surface, never touching it or not touching it often 掠过，擦过

seagulls skimming the waves

掠过浪尖的海鸥

skim over/along/across

The ball skimmed across the grass and stopped against the wall.

球掠过草地，在墙边停了下来。

4. skim stones/pebbles etc British EnglishBrETHROW to throw smooth flat stones into a lake, river etc in a way that makes them jump across the surface 打水漂 SYN American English skip

Examples from the Corpus

skim stones/pebbles etc• Small boys skim stones across the surface of the river.

n5. [transitiveT] to secretly record the details of someone’s credit card electronically in order to use them illegally

6 skim somebody/something ↔ off phrasal verbphr v

a) TAKE something FROM somebodyto take the best people or the best part of something for yourself 挑走〔最优秀的人〕；选取〔精华〕

Professional sport skims off all the best players.

职业体育运动把最优秀的选手都挑走了。

b) to take money illegally or dishonestly 捞走〔钱〕

For years his business partner had been skimming off the profits.

他的生意伙伴多年来一直在私吞利润。

Examples from the Corpus

skim off• As the grey scum rises, skim it off.• Cleanup crews, meanwhile, skimmed oil off the water and lowered the boom.

Examples from the Corpus

skim• Her mind skimmed back to the dinner on Friday night.• When stock is cold, skim fat from the top.• She picked up the stick and hurled it, skimming it low over the shallow pools left by the tide.• But fashion, as always, changed and the short skirt fell - literally - from favour and started skimming the ankles.• Jack opened the paper and skimmed the headlines.• I skimmed the newspaper but didn't see any report on the demonstration.• Or, the reader may have merely skimmed the second paragraph and sent back an incomplete form.• He threw a flat stone and watched it skim the surface of the lake.• Planes skimmed the treetops as they flew in with tanks full of water to put out the fire.• Seagulls skimmed the water, looking for fish.• He skimmed through the piece quickly, barely concentrating.• She didn't have much time so she just skimmed through the report before the meeting.• The first hour proved fairly turbulent, as we skimmed under some cumulus build-ups.

skim through/over• A long-line jacket with tapered trousers skims over any figure flaws.• The intimate dining room boasts art deco-inspired decor that Lau designed himself after skimming through magazines.• The considerations of adult sexuality have been skimmed over rather superficially, all the same, in this chapter.• But much can also be gained even if one simply skims over the arguments in order to obtain merely their flavour.• He skimmed through the piece quickly, barely concentrating.• He could see it skimming over the surface of the black waters of the Liffey far below.• We should be glad we skim over these fields of pillows in Alvin.• In the introduction, Blake skims over various stylistic approaches and attempts to justify his own.

skim over/along/across• The hot-air balloon skims along a wash, following the narrow line of trees and bushes across the desert.• A long-line jacket with tapered trousers skims over any figure flaws.• The considerations of adult sexuality have been skimmed over rather superficially, all the same, in this chapter.• But much can also be gained even if one simply skims over the arguments in order to obtain merely their flavour.• He reached for the bat and sent it skimming along the boards.• We should be glad we skim over these fields of pillows in Alvin.• Eventually, you can skim over those cracks with joint compound and repaint.

From Longman Business Dictionary