scupper

/'skʌpə/

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Definition

Scupper (noun): A scupper is a type of drain. It allows water that collects on the deck of a ship or boat to flow out into the sea. This helps to keep the deck dry and safe.

Usage Instructions

• As a noun, you use "scupper" when talking about boats or ships.
• As a verb, you might use it when discussing plans or strategies that are being spoiled or ruined.

Examples

1. Noun: "The rainwater flowed through the scuppers and into the ocean."
2. Verb: "The unexpected news scuppered their plans for a vacation."

Advanced Usage

In a more advanced context, "to scupper" can be used in business or politics to describe actions that undermine or thwart a project or proposal.

Word Variants

• The term "scupper" does not have many variants, but you might see it used in different tenses like "scuppered" (past tense) or "scuppering" (present participle).

Different Meanings

• In British English, "scupper" can also refer to a situation where someone is caught off guard or outmaneuvered.

Synonyms

For the noun: - Drain - Outlet

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

There are no specific idioms or phrasal verbs that include "scupper," but it is often used in phrases like "to scupper someone's plans," meaning to ruin or sabotage what someone was intending to do.

Summary

"Scupper" is mainly used in nautical contexts as a noun and in strategic contexts as a verb. Remember, when using it as a verb, it often implies that something is made more difficult or is ruined.

Academic

Noun

1. drain that allows water on the deck of a vessel to flow overboard

Verb

1. put in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or difficult position
2. wait in hiding to attack

Synonyms

• queer
• expose
• endanger
• peril
• ambush
• bushwhack
• waylay
• lurk
• ambuscade
• lie in wait