Skim (skĭm), v. t. [imp. & p. p.Skimmed (skĭmd); p. pr. & vb. n.Skimming.] [Cf. Sw. skymma to darken. √158. See Scum.] 1. To clear (a liquid) from scum or substance floating or lying thereon, by means of a utensil that passes just beneath the surface; as, to skim milk; to skim broth.
2. To take off by skimming; as, to skim cream.
3. To pass near the surface of; to brush the surface of; to glide swiftly along the surface of.
Homer describes Mercury as flinging himself from the top of Olympus, and skimming the surface of the ocean. Hazlitt.
4. Fig.: To read or examine superficially and rapidly, in order to cull the principal facts or thoughts; as, to skim a book or a newspaper.