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 (fi) (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), de lado (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."