(
adj.)
American Sports Slang -
1. synonym for
shut out; defeated while having scored no points; returned from a fishing or hunting trip with no catch.
When a team is defeated and has not scored a point, they are said to have been "skunked". No team has ever been skunked in the Super Bowl. The World Series has ended in a 4-game "sweep" several times; countless games in the Series have also resulted in skunkings. The slang is usually confined to elementary school and middle school athletics; adults (and high school athletes, who like to appear more mature than they are) use the more common "shut out".
Getting skunked generally implies total loss, a wasted trip, no joy, coming home empty-handed, and/or utter defeat.
"And the San Diemas Sharks have skunked their playground rivals, the San Diemas Slugs."
"I went fishing the other day, and not only did I end up getting skunked, but the beer I brought was skunked, too!"