skof, noun2

/skɔf/, /skɒf/
Forms:
schoff, schoftShow more Also schoff, schoft, scoff, shoft, skoff, skoft.
Plurals:
skofs, occasionally ‖skofte /ˈskɔftə/, and (formerly) skoften.
Origin:
South African Dutch, Afrikaans, DutchShow more South African Dutch schoft (later Afrikaans skof), stage of a journey, transferred use of Dutch schoft three hours’ work, shift, quarter of a day.
1. A leg or stage of a journey; obsolete. except in historical contexts, the distance or period of travel between outspans; the distance travelled by an ox-wagon in a day. Cf. scoff noun, trek noun sense 3.
1785 G. Forster tr. of A. Sparrman’s Voy. to Cape of G.H. I. 132Four such hours with a horse, or with eight oxen are reckoned to make one skoft.
1801 J. Barrow Trav. I. 55Each day’s journey is called a skoff; and the length of these is generally regulated by local circumstances, being from five to fifteen hours.
1821 C.I. Latrobe Jrnl of Visit 287Mr Melville..prevailed upon her to promise to let us have one spann in the morning, for a six-hours skoff, or half a day’s journey.
1834 A. Smith Diary (1939) I. 177A man asked 120 Rds. to convey the articles from this to Graaff Reynet, a distance of 7 schoffs.
1861 P.B. Borcherds Auto-Biog. Mem. 80We proceeded to a fountain called Gatarkomo, about a schoft (the common term for a day’s journey) from the chief’s residence.
1882 J. Nixon Among Boers 182We tried three treks, or ‘scoffs’, daily, instead of two.
1895 R.H.S. Churchill Men, Mines & Animals 134We have done twenty-five miles from Silika in three ‘skoffs’, which is excellent trekking. [Note] Skoff, journey from outspan to outspan, or from meal to meal.
1914 L.H. Brinkman Breath of Karroo 108The shorter the morning ‘schoft’ (as the Dutch term a stage), the better the animal will be able to work during the rest of the day.
1932 L. Fouche Louis Trigardt’s Trek p.xvIt became imperative to ascertain the value of Trigardt’s unit, the length of a ‘skof’.
1951 T.V. Bulpin Lost Trails of Low Veld 34Each day, except Sunday, a stage of travel, a skof, was completed.
1969 A. Fugard Boesman & Lena 2That last skof was hard. Against the wind...Heavier and heavier. Every step.
1973 J. Meintjes Voortrekkers 51The obstinate Jan Pretorius and his companions journeyed on for about a month, time being reckoned by day-treks or skofte.
2. transferred sense. A stage in the game of jukskei (see jukskei sense 2 a).
1991 Sunday Times 7 Apr. 26In Thursday’s ‘Test’ the Bokke and the Rest were locked on 22-all in the first skof. When the Bokke chucked the peg down by accident the three points took them over 23 for a ‘bust’ and they had to start all over again, trailing 0–22...You must understand that to win a skof, which is worth five points, you first have to score 23 points, exactly.
A leg or stage of a journey; obsolete. except in historical contexts, the distance or period of travel between outspans; the distance travelled by an ox-wagon in a day.
A stage in the game of jukskei (see jukskei sense 2 a).
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17851991

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skipper, nounn.skoffel, nounn.1
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