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Literary notes about skim (AI summary)

The word “skim” carries a rich variety of meanings in literature. In culinary contexts, it is used to describe the careful removal of fats or impurities from a liquid, as seen when instructions advise to “skim off the scum” from a simmering sauce ([1], [2], [3]). In other passages, it denotes a rapid, cursory reading, where one might “skim” over pages to get the essence of a text rather than examining every detail ([4], [5]). Meanwhile, in poetic and narrative descriptions, “skim” evokes a sense of light, effortless movement—imagining swallows or boats gliding gently over the water ([6], [7], [8], [9]). Thus, whether refining a recipe or conveying a graceful motion, the term enriches literary expressions with its multifaceted implications.
  1. Simmer over a slow fire, and then bring it to the boil, skim off the scum, and when cold apply it to the skin.
    — from The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness by Florence Hartley
  2. Stir the mixture frequently, and when it begins to boil skim carefully.
    — from Miss Parloa's Young Housekeeper Designed Especially to Aid Beginners; Economical Receipts for Those Who Are Cooking for Two or Three by Maria Parloa
  3. Boil, and skim it till no more scum is seen on the surface.
    — from Miss Leslie's New Cookery Book by Eliza Leslie
  4. Every one of them was worth careful perusal, but boy-like, he turned to the life of Garfield and began to skim it over.
    — from Barry Wynn; Or, The Adventures of a Page Boy in the United States Congress by George Barton
  5. But I shall have to read it some time, so I may as well skim it before it goes to the printers.
    — from Red Pottage by Mary Cholmondeley
  6. The steed along the drawbridge flies, Just as it trembled on the rise; Nor lighter does the swallow skim Along the smooth lake’s level brim:
    — from Marmion: A Tale Of Flodden Field by Walter Scott
  7. Pleasure-boats, with their swelling sails, skim lightly over the watery mirror, like white butterflies.
    — from Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by H. C. Andersen
  8. The ball dismissed, in dance they skim the strand, Turn and return, and scarce imprint the sand.
    — from The Odyssey by Homer
  9. The boat did not seem to sink into the water at all, but to skim like an air-bubble upon the surface of the surge.
    — from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 by Edgar Allan Poe

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