askance

askance

English

WOTD – 18 June 2008

Alternative forms

• askaunce (obsolete)
• askant (dated)

Etymology

Unknown. Possibly from Middle English askances (“as if”), or from Old French a escone (“hidden”) or Italian a scancio (“obliquely”). Compare asquint, Middle English askoyn (“at a slant, askance”), Dutch schuin, schuins (“sideways”), schuiven (“to shove”), schuinte (“slope”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈskæns/, /əˈskɑːns/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈskæns/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːns, -æns

Adverb

askance (not comparable)

1. (of a look or glance) With disapproval, skepticism, or suspicion.

   The beggar asked for change, but the haughty woman only looked at him askance.

   • 1932 — Clark Ashton Smith, The Maker of Gargoyles

     The scandal of opposition died down, and the stone-carver himself, though the town-folk continued to eye him askance, was able to secure other work through the favor of discriminating patrons.

   • 1875, William Ewart Gladstone, The Church of England and Ritualism

     Both […] were viewed askance by authority.

   • 1828, Walter Savage Landor, Imaginary Conversations Volume III: Lord Brooke and Sir Philip Sidney

     My palfrey eyed them askance.

2. Sideways; obliquely.
   • 1896, H. G. Wells, chapter 8, in The Island of Doctor Moreau:

     I glanced askance at this strange creature, and found him watching me with his queer, restless eyes.

   • 1878, Henry James, chapter 1, in The Europeans:

     ...the head-stones in the grave-yard beneath seemed to be holding themselves askance to keep it out of their faces.

Synonyms

• (with disapproval, skepticism): skeptically, suspiciously
• (sideways, obliquely): obliquely, sideways

Translations

of look: with disapproval

Bulgarian: подозрително (bg) (podozritelno) Chinese: Mandarin: 不贊成地／不赞成地 (zh) (bù zànchéng de) (disapprovingly), 懷疑地／怀疑地 (zh) (huáiyí de) (with suspicion) Czech: úkosem Dutch: misprijzend (nl) Finnish: karsaasti (fi) French: avec méfiance, de travers (fr) Galician: de esguello German: skeptisch (de), ablehnend (de) Greek: Ancient Greek: λοξός (loxós) Italian: storto (it), in cagnesco Japanese: 疑わしそうに (ja) (うたがわしそうに, tagawashisō ni) Macedonian: напреку (napreku) Portuguese: torto (pt) Russian: с подозре́нием (ru) (s podozrénijem), подозри́тельно (ru) (podozrítelʹno), неодобри́тельно (ru) (neodobrítelʹno) (disapprovingly), с упрёком (ru) (s uprjókom) (reproachingly) Serbo-Croatian: podozrivo (sh) Spanish: con recelo Swedish: misstroget (sv)

sideways, obliquely

Bulgarian: накриво (bg) (nakrivo), изкосо (izkoso) Chinese: Mandarin: 傾斜地／倾斜地 (zh) (qīngxié de) Czech: úkosem Dutch: zijdelings (nl) Finnish: sivuttain (sideways), nurkkasilmällä (obliquely) Galician: de esguello, de reollo German: schief (de), seitwärts (de), quer (de) Greek: Ancient Greek: λοξός (loxós) Italian: obliquamente (it), di traverso Japanese: 横目で (ja) (よこめで, yokome de), 斜めに (ja) (ななめに, naname ni) Macedonian: накосо (nakoso) Maori: korotaha, kōtaha Portuguese: de esguelha, de soslaio (pt) Russian: и́скоса (ru) (ískosa), ко́со (ru) (kóso), кри́во (ru) (krívo), сбо́ку (ru) (sbóku), на́бок (ru) (nábok) Serbo-Croatian: iskosa (sh), popr(ij)eko Spanish: de reojo, de través (es)

Adjective

askance (not comparable)

1. Turned to the side, especially of the eyes.
   • 1855 — Robert Browning, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came

     My first thought was, he lied in every word,
     That hoary cripple, with malicious eye
     Askance to watch the working of his lie

Synonyms

• (turned to the side): oblique, sideways, askew

Verb

askance (third-person singular simple present askances, present participle askancing, simple past and past participle askanced)

1. (rare, transitive) To look at (someone or something) with a sideways glance.
   • 1953, Lowry Charles Wimberly, Prairie Schooner (volume 27, page 406)

     Bowed heads, Aunt Ellen's, Aunt Laura's, her sister's — bowed but askancing her yellow dress — yes, yellow, golden yellow, hue of sun and life, Dad's favorite, to see him off on this, his greatest journey.

   • 1997, Tibor Fischer, The Thought Gang (page 185)

     "My dear sir," said Hube in an authoritative manner to the receptionist askancing Thales, "first of all, we aren't tourists. Secondly, this isn't a rat, this is the present embodiment of the spiritual leader of millions of people in India […]

2. (rare, transitive) To turn (one's eye or gaze) to the side.
   • 1826, William Hone, The Every Day Book, Or, A Guide to the Year:

     The pope askanced his eye at Michael with displeasure, and after a short pause saluted him, " Instead of your coming to us, you seem to have expected that we should attend upon you."