Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2018 February 17

= February 17 =

Scud running
Scud running is commonly understood as low-level VFR flying under a low cloud ceiling (so as to avoid the hassle of flying IFR) -- however, has this term ever been used to denote something completely different, namely, a particular form of weapons trafficking? 2601:646:8E01:7E0B:0:0:0:64DA (talk) 03:15, 17 February 2018 (UTC)
 * More likely within the scud-running industry itself, which doesn't exactly have press releases, ads and trade journals lying around the Googleable web. From what I can Google, scud smuggling on the whole is a niche market, rarely reported in this millenium. Usually practiced in non-English countries, often with unpunny variants like "Qiam", "Shahab" and "Rodong". As a general rule, any English person blanking any sort of blank for long enough will naturally recognize himself as a blank-blanker, even if he doesn't introduce or promote himself as such. It's just too easy. But no, no denotions that I see. InedibleHulk (talk) 06:39, 17 February 2018 (UTC)
 * If so, it is unknown to Google as far as I can tell. Alansplodge (talk) 09:52, 17 February 2018 (UTC)
 * I had always believed that "scud" referred to the foamy froth that you get on surf, but apparently only when it's blowing in the wind. There used to be a disreputable pub in the East End of London called "The Flying Scud", apparently named after a mid-19th century racehorse, but the pub sign depicted a sailing ship. In the 1991 Gulf War, it was also adorned by a couple of large plywood ballistic missiles. Alansplodge (talk) 13:17, 17 February 2018 (UTC)
 * I guess "The Flying Spume" didn't fit on the sign... Matt Deres (talk) 14:51, 17 February 2018 (UTC)
 * There you go, I knew there was a word for it :-) Alansplodge (talk) 20:21, 17 February 2018 (UTC)
 * I always thought that fuzzy scum was called "suds". I still might. Oxford seems to believe it's only about beer and detergent, though. InedibleHulk (talk) 22:10, 17 February 2018 (UTC)
 * The Oxford Dictionaries site usually gives you a very simplified picture. The OED has "foam, froth" as one of the senses of suds, and also "dregs, leavings; hence, filth, muck" and "flood-water; the water of the fens; water mixed with drift-sand and mud; drift-sand left by a flood" as obsolete senses. --Antiquary (talk) 09:53, 18 February 2018 (UTC)
 * "Suds" is only about beer to Americans, it's called "head" over here. Alansplodge (talk) 16:15, 18 February 2018 (UTC)
 * In the USA it can be about any foamy drink. See Dog n Suds. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 18:41, 18 February 2018 (UTC)
 * I stand corrected (root beer has never really caught on here). Alansplodge (talk) 22:12, 18 February 2018 (UTC)