scuttle /ˈskʌt.l̩/noun 8verb 5forms 3 noun8 •A container like an open bucket (usually to hold and carry coal). •A broad, shallow basket. •A quick pace; a short run.She scarce gave me time to return her salute, before she quitted the shop with an easy scuttle, and stepped again into her coach — 1712 •A small hatch or opening in a boat, sometimes one used for draining water from open deck. •A hatch that provides access to the roof from the interior of a building. •A drained trough between the windscreen and bonnet of a motor vehicle, forming the intake to the heating/air-conditioning system, often also containing the windscreen wiper motor. •By extension, the bulkhead at the front of the passenger compartment. •(Scotland, no longer used) A dish, platter or a trencher. verb5 •To deliberately sink one's ship or boat by any means, usually by order of the vessel's commander or owner.The Vichy French fleet in Toulon in 1942 scuttled itself as a final "fuck you" to the invading Germans. •To deliberately wreck one's vehicle (of any sort). •To undermine or thwart oneself or one's position or property, especially deliberately.The candidate had scuttled his chances with his unhinged outburst. •To move hastily, to scurry.With the first dawn of day, old Janet was scuttling about the house to wake the baron. — 1814 •To cut a hole or holes through the bottom, deck, or sides of (as of a ship), for any purpose. formsscuttled · scuttling · scuttles
