skey, noun

/skeɪ/
Forms:
schei, skeaShow more Also schei, skea, skee, skei.
Plurals:
skeys, occasionally skeyes, and (sense 2 only) skeie/ˈskeɪə/.
Origin:
South African Dutch, Dutch, AfrikaansShow more Adaptation of South African Dutch skei, from Dutch schei tie piece, crossbar; sense 3 may be from Afrikaans skei to divide, part, split.
1. In historical contexts. Each of a pair of notched wooden pegs or bars passing vertically through the end of an ox-yoke, being inserted one on either side of the neck of the ox and having the neck-strap (see strop sense 1 a) linking them below; jukskei sense 1; yoke key; yokeskey sense 1.
1835 T.H. Bowker Journal. 2 JuneSome of the men make Yokes & Skees.
1850 R.G.G. Cumming Hunter’s Life (1902) 7The yoke is placed on the back of the neck of the ox, with one of these skeys on either side.
1851 R.J. Garden Diary. I. (Killie Campbell Africana Library MS29081) 29 JuneThe yokes, skeyes, trek touw etc..he has made him self.
1863 W.C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting 103From the beams hung..old saddles, yokes, skeys, neckstraps, and all apparatus for wagoning.
1882 J. Nixon Among Boers 172The yoke is kept from slipping sideways by wooden stays, or ‘skeys’, which are fastened under the throat by a small ‘strop’ of hide.
1895 A.B. Balfour 1200 Miles in Waggon 72At each end of it (sc. the yoke)..is a pair of notched slips of wood called skeis, let into holes in the yokes at a sufficient distance apart for the neck of an ox to fit in between them.
1911 Farmer’s Weekly 15 Mar. 5 (advt)Good strong hard wood skeys (Hewn, not sawn) at 2s. 6d. per dozen.
1947 H.C. Bosman Mafeking Rd (1969) 157As we were also without skeis we had to fasten the necks of the oxen straight on to the yokes with strops.
1963 S. Cloete Rags of Glory 404Through these holes went the skeys — pieces of hard wood notched to take the leather strops or straps that passed under the ox’s throat and were adjusted in the notches according to the size of the animal.
1973 Farmer’s Weekly 30 May (Suppl.) 37 (advt)Skeys R3,60 doz.
1980 A.J. Blignaut Dead End Rd 80The leaders flung the yokes about on their necks and rattled the skeis.
1991 Sunday Times 7 Apr. 26With nothing better to do in the evenings, when it was nice and cool and they had outspanned, they would remove the skeis from the juks so they could throw them at a stick they had stuck in the ground for this purpose.
2. A pin of the type thrown in the game of jukskei, originally the wooden skey of a yoke, but now usually a bottle-shaped rubber pin about 450mm long and weighing up to 1,8 kg; jukskei sense 2 b.
1955 A. Delius Young Trav. in S. Afr. 104The jukskei pitch was pitted at both ends and softened by the fall of the skeie, which were made of wood and shaped not unlike Indian clubs...The object was to throw a skei from one end to the other and to knock down the further wand.
1971 Argus 14 May 22The monarch was King George VI and the picture of him lobbing a skei..is on view at the South African Archives.
1972 D.A. Krüger in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. VI. 246Several types of skeys evolved..- round, flat, double, Natalia, Olivier, bottle, rolling-pin and ‘tap-root’; but the bottle-skey has proved to be the most effective.
1982 S. Afr. Panorama Sept. 29The skey itself has changed considerably from the old bottle neck type, the triangular skey and rolling pin, to the present day composite skey with a maximum mass of 1,8 kg.
1991 Sunday Times 7 Apr. 26These days the skeis are not made from wood...Now the skeis are composed of some kind of rubber compound...A set of two costs about R100.
3. A V-shaped notch, cut or punched in the ear of an ox or other farm animal as a means of identification. Also attributive.
1971 Grocott’s Mail 28 May 1One Red Ox with brown markings, swallow tail and skey right ear, hole in left ear.
1971 Grocott’s Mail 27 July 2Jersey Cow, tip, skey and slit, left ear.
1971 Daily Dispatch 2 Sept. 111 Ntsundu ox, R-E two skeys behind and swallow tail; L-E skey in front and skey behind; no brand.
1975 Daily Dispatch 13 June 9One She Goat right ear skey, left ear vent.
Each of a pair of notched wooden pegs or bars passing vertically through the end of an ox-yoke, being inserted one on either side of the neck of the ox and having the neck-strap (see strop sense 1 a) linking them below; jukskei sense 1; yoke key; yokeskey sense 1.
A pin of the type thrown in the game of jukskei, originally the wooden skey of a yoke, but now usually a bottle-shaped rubber pin about 450mm long and weighing up to 1,8 kg; jukskei sense 2 b.
A V-shaped notch, cut or punched in the ear of an ox or other farm animal as a means of identification. Also attributive.
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18351991

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