Law of the Playground

An excellent ruse. This involved asking a victim if they had “Skill”. They would warily answer yes, which was a mistake. Skill, it was hilariously revealed, is an African bum-disease. The victim was of course trapped by the initial question, as to not have Skill was an obvious admission of being a total gaylord. (Interestingly, both definitions called it an African Bum Disease)

Richard D

We were unaware of African Bum Diseases - “skill” to us stood for Spastic Kid In Lesbo-Land. Which, at the age of 6, shows a premature appreciation of the lesbian arts.

Adam

Skill actually means a spot on a dog’s bum. So there.

Stefan A

All of you are stupid and wrong. It is dolphin poo.

Goblin

It is skil with one ’l’ that is the bum disease. With two l’s it is the regular use of skill, which is “great”, or “wicked”. Although it is difficult to tell the two apart in everyday conversation.

Guy S

While Skill’s country of origin was never widely known (or cared about) at our school, it was first and foremost a BUMMER’S disease, not a BUM disease, which is an entirely different thing and a deeply important clarification.

It was conceivable that you could pick up a bum disease just by not wiping your arse properly, or sitting on a fat kid’s coat, for example. There was only one way of getting a bummer’s disease.

Leigh L

Nope, it’s definitely African Bum Disease. There was a kid at school that had it. Honestly.

Tom R

Also an acronym for Spazzy Kid In Lezbo Land

Lemon C

I always believed the true meaning of ‘skill’ to mean penguin poo, therefore telling people that you were skill meant that you resembled the contents of a penguin’s anus. All these other entries have totally disillusioned me… now I don’t know what to believe.

Alistair G

Walking behind one of the popular/trendy kids on the way to school, I overheard him say,

“Mum, I’m cool and wicked and skill!”

“Save that for your school friends, Adrian,” she said back.

He never quite regained his status after I let that one out.

The S

Skill meant two things at our school - African Bum Disease, or Penguin Poo. At a class reunion, I imagine many of us would agree that this was a useful introduction to the fluid and essentially subjective nature of language.

[anon]