scupper1
n.
a hole in a ship's side to allow water to run away from the deck.
Etymology
ME: perh. via Anglo-Norman Fr. from OFr. escopir ‘to spit’.
scupper2
v.
chiefly Brit. - sink (a ship) deliberately.
- informal prevent from working or succeeding; thwart.
Etymology
C19 (as military sl. in the sense ‘kill, especially in an ambush’): of unknown origin.
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