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Green’s Dictionary of Slang

skew n.¹

[Lat. scutella, a dish; note Harman (c.1566) has askew, a cup, and DSUE offers an ety. of Fr. escuelle, a cup; however, a simple misprint or mishearing of a skew is more likely]

a cup or dish.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 83: A Skew, A Cup.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching n.p.: [as cit. c.1566].
1608		Dekker Lanthorne and Candle-Light Ch. 1: The Canters Dictionary Skew, a cup.
1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 40: Scew a Cuppe or Glasse, a Dish or any thing to drinke in. [Ibid.] Tipp in my skew good dame.
1612		Dekker ‘Of Clapperdogeons’ O per se O N: [He] patches at his Girdle, ready to be clapt on, a great Scue (a browne dish) hanging at his girdle, and a tassell of Thrummes to wipe it.
1641		R. Brome Jovial Crew II i: This is Bien bowse, this is Bien bowse, / Too little is my Skew.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 52: Skew, a Dish.
a.1674		‘A Wenches complaint for . . . her lusty Rogue’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 17: To thy Bughar and thy skew, / Filch and Jybes I bid adieu.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Skew, a Cup or Dish. Scue.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Skew, a Begger’s Wooden Dish.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 200: To thy Bugher and thy Skew, / Filch and Gybes, I bid adieu [To thy Dog and Dish adieu, Thy Staff and pass I ne’er must view].
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict.
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict. 17: A Ditch [sic] – Skew.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.