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Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 02:05:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: wsmith@wordsmith.org
To: linguaphile@wordsmith.org
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--scrimmage
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scrimmage (SKRIM-ayg) noun

   1. A rough struggle.

   2. A practice game, often between two parts of the same team.

   3. A tussle for the ball in games such as football, rugby, soccer, etc.

verb tr, intr.

   To engage in a scrimmage.

[Middle English metathetic variant of skirmish.]

   "I depict her, ah, how charming!
   I portray myself alarming
   Her by swearing I would `mount the deadly breach,'
   Or engage in any scrimmage
   For a glimpse of her sweet image,
   Or her shadow, or her footprint on the beach."
   Charles Stuart Calverley, On the Beach, Anthology of Light Verse, 1935.

This week's theme: words formed by metathesis or transposing letters.

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Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/scrimmage.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/scrimmage.ram