scupper
(noun) drain that allows water on the deck of a vessel to flow overboard
queer, expose, scupper, endanger, peril
(verb) put in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or difficult position
ambush, scupper, bushwhack, waylay, lurk, ambuscade, lie in wait
(verb) wait in hiding to attack
Source: WordNet® 3.1
scupper (plural scuppers)
(nautical) A drainage hole on the deck of a ship.
(architecture) A similar opening in a wall or parapet that allows water to drain from a roof.
scupper (third-person singular simple present scuppers, present participle scuppering, simple past and past participle scuppered)
(British) Thwart or destroy, especially something belonging or pertaining to another; compare scuttle.
• cuppers
Source: Wiktionary
Scup"per, n. Etym: [OF. escopir, escupir, to spit, perhaps for escospir, L. ex + conspuere to spit upon; pref. con- + spuere to spit. Cf. Spit, v.] (Naut.)
Definition: An opening cut through the waterway and bulwarks of a ship, so that water falling on deck may flow overboard; -- called also scupper hole.
Scupper hose (Naut.), a pipe of leather, canvas, etc., attached to the mouth of the scuppers, on the outside of a vessel, to prevent the water from entering. Totten.
– Scupper nail (Naut.), a nail with a very broad head, for securing the edge of the hose to the scupper.
– Scupper plug (Naut.), a plug to stop a scupper. Totten.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
3 May 2025
(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
