skid n. a disreputable or unfashionable young person. Editorial Note: There is some evidence that this term is most common in Canada. Etymological Note: Said to be a contraction of street kid, but there’s little substantiation for this. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
She sells seashells by the seashore. Who is the she in this tongue twister? Some claim it’s the young Mary Anning, who went on to become a famous 19th-century British paleontologist. Dubious perhaps, but the story of her rise from seaside...
One of the most powerful words you’ll ever hear — and one of the most poignant — isn’t in dictionaries yet. But it probably will be one day. The word is endling, and it means “the last surviving member of a species.” The...
There was a British band called ‘The Skids’ in the punk era – which probably either came from a contr. of street kids or was an allusion to ‘skid marks’1979
what about “skid row” – as in the area where poor/homeless people (used to) congregate?
There’s most likely no connection to “skid row.”
Skid Row was a Canadian band, however. Might also be a reference to “skidmarks.”
In my high school near Toronto, somehow the word “skid” became de rigeur to describe all the metalheads in our crew. Also, “dirt kids” was acceptable.
my friend wrote a book called Skids
here is her website containing the Globe and Mail review refered to above:
cathleenwith.blogspot.com