# skinny

Pronunciation: say "SKIN-ee" /ˈskɪni/

## Adjective

1. Thin, generally in an unflattering sense, unlike slim, which describes thinness as attractive. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Thin, often in a way that does not look nice.
   - _He was a skinny kid with knobby knees and glasses too big for his face._
   - _After months of illness she looked skinnier than ever._
2. Of clothing, cut to fit tightly against the body.
   - Simple: Of clothes, made to fit close and tight to the body.
   - _He showed up in skinny jeans and a leather jacket._
   - _She traded her skinny pants for a pair of wide-leg ones._
4. Of food or drink, made with less fat or fewer calories than usual. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Of food or drinks, made to have less fat or fewer calories.
   - _She ordered a skinny vanilla latte and a fruit cup._
   - _The bar's skinny margarita skips the sugary mix in favor of fresh lime._
6. Without clothes; naked, chiefly in the phrase skinny dipping.
   - Simple: With no clothes on, mostly in the phrase "skinny dipping."
   - _A few counselors were caught skinny-dipping in the lake after lights out._
   - _Skinny dipping in the town fountain earned the two students a night in a cell._
10. In golf, of a shot, struck with the bottom part of the clubhead; thin.
   - Simple: In golf, of a shot, hit with the bottom part of the club.
   - _His skinny wedge raced across the green and into the far bunker._
   - _Nerves got to her, and she hit the chip a little skinny._

## Noun

3. The details or facts about something, especially ones learned through gossip or rumor. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: The facts or news about something, often learned from gossip.
   - _Give me the skinny on the new manager before I meet her._
   - _The real skinny, according to the receptionist, is that the merger is off._
5. A serving of coffee made low in fat. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A cup of coffee made with less fat.
   - _She grabbed a skinny on her way into the office._
   - _Two skinnies and a black coffee, please._
8. A thin person or other creature. *(nonstandard)*
   - Simple: A thin person or creature.
   - _"Hey, skinny, want some of my fries?" his uncle called across the table._
   - _The gym's ads promise to turn skinnies into bodybuilders in twelve weeks._
9. The state of being naked, usually in the phrase in the skinny.
   - Simple: The state of having no clothes on, mostly in "in the skinny."
   - _The old photos show the whole family swimming in the skinny at the lake._
   - _After that sunburn, he swore he'd never lie on the beach in the skinny again._
11. A narrow fence set up as an obstacle for a horse to jump.
   - Simple: A narrow fence that a horse has to jump over.
   - _The cross-country course ends with a skinny that punishes any rider who lets the horse drift._
   - _Coaches set up skinnies in the arena to teach young horses to jump straight._

## Verb

7. To reduce or cut down, especially in size or number, often in the phrase skinny down. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To make something smaller or cut it down.
   - _The committee skinnied the list of candidates to three finalists._
   - _Many firms skinny down when the economy slows, closing offices and trimming staff._

## Origin

From Middle English skinny ("resembling skin"), equivalent to skin + -y. The sense of lacking fat or muscle possibly comes from the phrase skin and bones; the sense of nakedness refers to the exposed skin.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/skinny (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).