the.com/skunk
a tiny anarchist armed with a chemical weapon nobody dares to challenge twice.
means A small black-and-white North American mammal famous for spraying a foul-smelling liquid when threatened — and, by extension, a verb meaning to defeat an opponent so soundly they score nothing.
from From an Algonquian language — likely Massachusett or a related tongue — the word came into English in the 1600s as colonists encountered the creature, recorded early on as 'squnck.' The native roots are usually traced to elements meaning something like 'urinating fox' or 'one who sprays,' a blunt and accurate naming. The verb sense of trouncing an opponent appeared later in American slang, the shutout loss as memorable and unwelcome as the animal's calling card.
- range
- Spray hits targets up to ten feet away
- warning
- Stomps and does handstands before firing
- ammo
- Carries about five to six full blasts
- smell
- Detectable by humans over a mile away
- immunity
- Great horned owls hunt them, no nose
striped skunk — native to north america, can spray musk up to 15 feet with 99% accuracy
spotted skunk — smaller species found in western north america, does handstand before spraying
hog-nosed skunk — south american species with distinctive white stripe, hunts insects in soil