Definition

1. Verb (transitive):
   • To remove the best or most desirable part from a group or collection: To select and take the most valuable, skilled, or attractive elements from a larger whole.
   • To remove a layer from the surface of a liquid: To take something, such as cream or fat, from the top of a liquid.

Usage

• The verb "skim off" is typically used with an object. It describes the action of taking the top or best part of something.
• It often implies a selective or exclusive action, sometimes with a negative connotation of taking the best for oneself, leaving the rest diminished.

Examples

• Selecting the best from a group:
  • The prestigious university tends to skim off the top students from schools across the country.
  • The new tech company is trying to skim off the best engineers from its competitors.
• Removing from a surface:
  • Remember to skim off the fat from the surface of the soup before serving.
  • She skimmed off the cream from the fresh milk.

Advanced Usage

• Economic/Financial Context: Often used to describe the action of taking the largest share of profits.
  • Corrupt officials were accused of skimming off a percentage of the public funds.
• Figurative Use: Can describe abstractly taking the best part of something non-physical.
  • The popular show has skimmed off the most interesting plot points from several classic novels.

Variants and Related Words

• Skim (verb): To move quickly over a surface, or to read quickly to get the main ideas. Also, to remove a substance from the surface of a liquid.
  • The birds skimmed the surface of the water.
  • She skimmed the report before the meeting.
• Cream off (verb, phrasal): A synonym often used in British English with the same meaning as "skim off" in the context of selecting the best.
  • The program is designed to cream off the most talented young athletes.

Synonyms

• Cream off: To take the best people or things from a group.
• Cull: To select from a large group (can imply a more rigorous or systematic selection).
• Separate: To remove something from a mixture or group (more general).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Skim through: To read, look at, or examine something quickly.
  • I only had time to skim through the document.
• Skim over: To deal with or treat something very quickly and without detail.
  • The lecture skimmed over the complex historical causes.

Related Idioms

• The cream of the crop: The best of a particular group. This noun phrase is related to the action described by "skim off."
  • These award-winning wines represent the cream of the crop from this region.

Verb

1. pick the best
2. remove from the surface
   • skim cream from the surface of milk