scewhiff

[hpretty]

is this how you spell it, and where did it come from?

[Quizmonster]

Nowadays it is usually spelt skew-whiff, though it has had other spellings such as 'scew-whift' etc since first appearing in English in the 18th century. It is a combination of 'askew', meaning oblique/not straight and 'whiffed' meaning blown as in when we say: 'a whiff of something unpleasant', suggesting that a breeze has brought the nasty smell to you. In total, therefore, it means, in effect, 'blown adrift'.