skimming

• Nom désignant plusieurs actions : retirer une couche en surface d'un liquide ; lecture ou parcours rapide et superficiel ; pratique illégale consistant à dissimuler une partie de ses revenus pour échapper à l'impôt ; ou fait d'effleurer quelque chose en passant.

A noun with multiple meanings: the act of removing material from the surface of a liquid; the practice of reading or glancing through something quickly; the illegal act of concealing income to avoid taxation; or the act of lightly brushing against something while passing.

indénombrable

1. Removing surface materialB1formalculinary

   The act of removing floating material, such as fat or debris, from the surface of a liquid.

   écumage

   • The chef used a spoon for skimming the fat off the soup.
   • Skimming the foam from the boiling broth improves the clarity of the stock.
   • The pool cleaner is responsible for skimming leaves from the water surface.

2. Quick readingB2informal

   The practice of reading or glancing through text quickly to get a general idea of the content.

   lecture rapide / survol

   • Skimming the article before the meeting helped her understand the main points.
   • He used skimming to review the textbook chapters before the exam.
   • Skimming through emails is a common way to manage a busy inbox.

   Synonymesbrowsingleafingscanning

   Antonymesperusalscrutinystudy

3. Tax evasionC1formallegal

   The illegal practice of failing to declare income in order to avoid paying taxes on it.

   Soustraction fiscale

   • The businessman was arrested for skimming profits from his company.
   • Skimming cash payments is a common form of tax evasion.
   • The audit revealed a pattern of skimming that had gone unnoticed for years.

   Synonymestax evasion

   Antonymescompliancedeclaration

4. B2informal

   The act of lightly brushing against something while passing by.

   Effleurement

   • The skimming of her sleeve against the wall left a mark.
   • He felt the skimming of a branch as he walked through the forest.
   • The car's side mirror was damaged by the skimming of a passing truck.

   Synonymesbrushinggrazingshavingsweepingtouching

• Verbe utilisé pour désigner le fait de lire ou de parcourir rapidement quelque chose afin d'en saisir les idées principales, ou d'enlever une substance à la surface d'un liquide.

A verb used to indicate the act of reading or glancing through something quickly to get the main ideas, or removing a substance from the surface of a liquid.

1. Travel on the surface of waterB2formal

   To move lightly and quickly across the surface of a liquid, often skipping or gliding.

   Effleurer la surface de l'eau

   • The stone skimmed across the lake, bouncing three times before sinking.
   • Birds skimmed the water's surface looking for fish.
   • The boat skimmed over the calm sea at high speed.

   Synonymesglideplanescudskipskittersweep

2. Move swiftly and lightly over a surfaceB2formal

   To pass quickly and lightly over or near a surface without touching it deeply.

   Effleurer

   • The dragonfly skimmed the surface of the pond.
   • Her fingers skimmed over the piano keys effortlessly.
   • The helicopter skimmed the treetops during the rescue mission.

   Synonymesbrushdartflitglidegrazescudskateskipslipsweep

   Antonymesdiveplungesinksubmerge

3. Examine hastilyB1informal

   To read or look at something quickly and superficially, without paying close attention to details.

   parcourir rapidement

   • I only had time to skim the newspaper headlines this morning.
   • She skimmed the report before the meeting to get the main points.
   • He skimmed through the contract, missing a few important clauses.

   Synonymesbrowsedip intoglancelook-overrun throughscan

   Antonymesanalyzeexamineinspectperusescrutinizestudy

4. Cause to skip over a surfaceB2informal

   To make an object bounce or skip across a surface, typically water.

   Faire ricocher

   • The children skimmed stones across the river for fun.
   • He skimmed a flat rock across the pond, making it skip five times.
   • They were skimming pebbles on the lake during their picnic.

   Synonymesbouncericochetskip

5. Coat a liquid with a layerC1formal

   To form or cover the surface of a liquid with a thin layer of something.

   Recouvrir d'une couche

   • The soup was skimmed with a thin layer of oil.
   • After cooling, the broth was skimmed with a layer of fat.
   • The pond was skimmed with a green layer of algae.

   Synonymescoatfilmoverlay

6. Remove from the surfaceB2formal

   To take something off the top of a liquid, such as cream, foam, or impurities.

   Écrémer (retirer de la surface)

   • She skimmed the cream off the milk to make butter.
   • The chef skimmed the foam from the boiling stock.
   • He skimmed the impurities from the surface of the molten metal.

   Synonymescreamladlescoopspoon

   Antonymesdipimmersesinksubmerge

7. Read superficiallyB1informal

   To read quickly and without full comprehension, focusing only on the main ideas.

   parcourir superficiellement

   • I skimmed the textbook chapter before the exam.
   • She skimmed the article to see if it was relevant to her research.
   • He tends to skim emails rather than reading them thoroughly.

   Synonymesbrowseglance overrun throughscan

   Antonymesperusescrutinizestudy

Variantes phrasalskim offskim over