Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (Irish) used as an insult [used at TCD for a servant; ? abbrev. SE skip-kennel, lit. one who must jump over kennels, i.e. gutters].

1690		‘Teague’ Teagueland Jests I 70: Out, you Lousie Bogg-trotting Skip [...] marry troop up, Bonny-clapper.
[1690		‘Teague’ Teagueland Jests I 75: [as a servant] A Skip bring sent to the Fish-mongers for some Fish...].

2. (US) an absconder, esp. one who leaves without paying their debts.

1890		Wash. Standard (Olympia, WA) 5 Sept. 3/2: ‘Pogey’ Hartman has decamped leaving bills. Three ‘skips’ in a week is something unsual.
1915		J.R. Foote Modern Collection Methods 32: In some lines of business, much, and in some, most of the collection department work is the tracing of skips. A skip is a handy term used to describe a debtor who finds it easy to forget to leave any tracks when he moves his earthly possessions .
1939		AS XIV:3 240/2: Skip, guest who leaves without paying his bill.
1954		J. Thompson Swell-Looking Babe 56: The hotel would chalk her up as a skip.
1971		Albuquerque Jrnl (NM) 7 Jan. 61/6: Motels have to figure into their budget approximately ‘one per cent for skips and bad checks’.
2001		G. Pelecanos Right As Rain 235: He’s out there working a couple of skips. They should bring some money into the till this week.
2021		T. Pluck Boy from County Hell 71: ‘Got any scumbag skips ’round Jeannetta?’.

3. (US) the act of absconding, running away; thus do a skip, to abscond.

1880		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 17 Jan. 13/1: [pic. caption] What Spoiled an Elopement — A Young Lady’s Skillfully Planned ‘Skip’ from Parental Authority is Marred by a Presumptuous Nail Catching her Dress While Jumping Over the Wall.
1889		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 7 Dec. 2/2: A few nights ago had been decided upon as a luscious time for a skip, but the old folks were up to snuff, and bluffed the game.
1900		A.H. Lewis ‘Hamilton Finnerty’s Heart’ in Sandburrs 66: A friend put me onto your skip from Liverpool.
1903		Sun. Times (Perth) 9 Aug. 4/8: But of Jewburg swift and straight he did a sugar-doodle skip.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 225/2: Skip (Anglo-American, 1870). A rapid retreat, quick march to avoid consequences. Also to run away meanly.
1913		Truth (Sydney) 30 Mar. 11/5: P’raps some day he'll do a skip, and / When there'll be some ructions sure [etc].
c.1930		(con. 1868) N. Kimball Amer. Madam (1981) 65: He’s done the skip on you.

4. an act of ignoring, passing by.

1900		E.H. Babbitt ‘College Words and Phrases’ in DN II:i 60: skip, n. An absence.
1988		D. Woodrell Muscle for the Wing 134: If there’s more than six coonasses in there [...] we should give it a skip and catch him alone.

5. (US campus/teen) in pl., tennis shoes.

1989		Eble Campus Sl. Sept.
1994		W.D. Myers Glory Field 310: [His pants] were dirty too, and so were his kicks, which looked like skips.
1996		Eble Sl. and Sociability 34: skips ‘tennis shoes’.
2002		W.D. Myers Handbook for Boys 124: He wore a light-blue jacket over a sweatshirt, camouflage pants and dirty skips.

6. see skip-kennel under skip v.