scupper

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English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Uncertain. Perhaps from Middle English scope (scoop) or Dutch schop (shovel) +‎ -er; or from Dutch scheppen (to draw off).

Noun

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scupper (plural scuppers)

  1. (nautical) A drainage hole on the deck of a ship.
  2. (architecture) A similar opening in a wall or parapet that allows water to drain from a roof.
    • 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 111:
      I have said that our roof was decidedly Biblical in style; but to make it a dry one, something of a nautical character was added to its architecture, for on either side were scuppers, and it was slightly arched in the centre[.]
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Etymology 2

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Of unknown origin; possibly verbized form of Etymology 1, but this is unlikely.

Verb

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scupper (third-person singular simple present scuppers, present participle scuppering, simple past and past participle scuppered)

  1. (transitive, UK) To thwart or destroy, especially something belonging or pertaining to another.
    Coordinate term: scuttle
    The bad media coverage scuppered his chances of being elected.
    • 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World [], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
      ["]The only chance was to get the guns and try a rescue. Of course they may scupper them at once in revenge.["]
    • 2002 July 2, Hugo Young, “We can't allow US tantrums to scupper global justice”, in The Guardian[1]:
      This is the face of American exceptionalism [] threatening to scupper both the court and, failing that, UN peace-keeping operations in Bosnia and anywhere else the US might have forces deployed on such work.
    • 2019 October 19, Robert Kitson, “England into World Cup semi-finals after bruising victory over Australia”, in The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media:
      Anthony Watson’s late interception and Owen Farrell’s 100% kicking contribution also helped scupper the Wallabies, despite the promise of their exciting new centre Jordan Petaia and the roadrunner pace of winger Marika Koroibete.
    • 2020 May 20, John Crosse, “Soon to be gone... but never forgotten”, in RAIL, page 62:
      Pacers should have all been withdrawn by now, but that has been scuppered by a failure to deliver new trains on time and delays to infrastructure projects. The most high-profile withdrawals were to be Northern's Class 142s and '144s' (the latter by the end of 2018, and the '142s' by the end of last year).
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