Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (Aus./N.Z.) to boast or brag; thus nothing to skite about, nothing to make a fuss about.

1857		Bell’s Life in Victoria (Melbourne) 24 Oct. 3/2: If Podgy means fighting and not skiting, Young Shannon will fight him for £50-a-side.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Aug. 14/1: How some of the darned Britishers who belong to the Club must ‘skite’ when they return home, about the stone walls they negotiated in Australia.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 14 Jan. 6/7: I left him [...] once more asking him if he had been skiteing or telling me the full strength.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 27 Jan. 15/3: Your jingoistic Kipling, he’s skiting for you yet; / He writes your Jingo screamers and he writes ‘Lest we Forget.’.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 16 June 24/3: Tommy Atkins, it seems, can skite his ‘little piece’ with the best of ‘em.
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 17 Jan. 12/4: ‘I’m only about even now,’ says I, [...] ‘s’pose we make it a fiver a corner,’ skitin’ like.
1911		L. Stone Jonah 90: Are yez sure yer niver got a few beers in, an’ started skitin’ about it?
1916		C.J. Dennis ‘The Push’ in Moods of Ginger Mick 39: We’ve slung the swank fer good an’ all; it don’t fit in our plan; / To skite uv birth an’ boodle is a crime.
1926		K.S. Prichard Working Bullocks 147: Was skitin’ the other night in Marritown she’d beat anything in the Karri.
1931		‘William Hatfield’ Sheepmates 168: The latter was silent too. Men did not ‘skite’ over long about their riding in Hallett’s camp.
1940		F. Sargeson ‘Good Samaritan’ in A Man And His Wife (1944) 79: I suppose he went back to his ship and skited about the time he’d had.
1950		J. Morrison Port of Call 66: She’s got noffink ter skite abaht, anyhow, [...] She’s only a cocky’s daughter.
1960		‘Nino Culotta’ Cop This Lot 15: Biggest thing ever ’appened to ’er. She’ll be skitin’ fer years.
1966		D. Niland Pairs and Loners 12: All you can do is skite. You’re the biggest skiter in this town.
1977		(con. 1935) A. Campbell Island To Island (1984) 89: You could [...] skite in front of the ‘sheilas’ while feigning total indifference.
1981		(con. 1900s) A.B. Facey Fortunate Life 80: Charlie was so pleased with the work that we had done, he would skite about it to the neighbours.
1985		R.G. Barrett You Wouldn’t Be Dead for Quids (1989) 62: I’m not trying to skite, but me and Billy are probably the two fittest blokes down at the gym.
1996		Penguin Bk of More Aus. Jokes 36: What are you skiting about? Look at my dick! It’s still in its packing case.
2006		P. Carey Theft 250: skiting and boasting he would talk the hind leg off a donkey.

2. to talk aggressively, to reprimand.

1902

‘Dads Wayback’ in Sun. Times (Sydney) 3 Aug. 1/4: ‘Bill sez “Come ter ther hall an' bear this new cove er skitin.” [...] Yous ought ter er bin there, Wayback. He [...] give ther pubs rats’.