skipjack

[skip-jak] /ˈskɪpˌdʒæk/
noun, plural (especially collectively) skipjack (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) skipjacks for 1; skipjacks for 2, 3.
1.
any of various fishes that leap above the surface of the water, as a tuna, Euthynnus pelamis, or the bonito.
2.
Entomology, click beetle.
3.
Nautical. an American one-masted sailing vessel.
Origin
1545-55; skip1 + jack1
Examples from the web for skipjack
  • Fishmongers sometimes get caught labeling, for example, skipjack tuna as more expensive yellowtail.
  • Anglers can fish for trout, flounder, skipjack and more from piers and jetties.
  • Anglers enjoy catching skipjack herring, as they frequently jump during the fight.
British Dictionary definitions for skipjack

skipjack

/ˈskɪpˌdʒæk/
noun (pl) -jack, -jacks
1.
Also called skipjack tuna. an important food fish, Katsuwonus pelamis, that has a striped abdomen and occurs in all tropical seas: family Scombridae (mackerels and tunas)
2.
black skipjack, a small spotted tuna, Euthynnus yaito, of Indo-Pacific seas
3.
any of several other unrelated fishes, such as the alewife and bonito
4.
(nautical) an American sloop used for oystering and as a yacht
5.
another name for a click beetle
Word Origin
C18: from skip1 + jack1
Word Origin and History for skipjack
n.

1550s, "a pert shallow-brained fellow; a puppy, a whipper-snapper; a conceited fop or dandy" [OED], from skip (v.) + generic name jack (n.). Applied 1703 to tropical fishes with leaping tendencies. In reference to a kind of sailing boat used on Chesapeake Bay, attested from 1887.

skipjack in Technology

cryptography
An encryption algorithm created by the NSA (National Security Agency) which encrypts 64-bit blocks of data with an 80-bit key. It is used in the Clipper chip, a VLSI device with an ARM processor core, which is intended to perform cryptographic operations while allowing the security agencies listen in.
There are (apparently) two agencies, both of whom have to agree that there is a valid reason to decode a message. Don't laugh, they are serious.
[Algorithm?]
(1995-12-07)

Encyclopedia Article for skipjack

click beetle

any of approximately 7,000 species of beetles (insect order Coleoptera) named for the clicking noise made when seized by a predator. Most click beetles range between 2.5 and 18 mm (less than 34 inch) in length and are brown or black in colour with either little or no ornamentation. However, some tropical species are brightly coloured or luminescent. Click beetles have elongated bodies with parallel sides and bluntly rounded ends

Learn more about click beetle with a free trial on Britannica.com