I was watching the movie "Kajillionaire" and heard this quote:
Once your face is in the system, they got you. Fines, 401k, home equity. But maybe you want all of that, I don’t know. Me? I just prefer to skim.
So what does "to skim" mean in this context? I looked it up in the dictionary and saw some entries that I felt it might be related but I couldn’t be sure.
a. To embezzle (money) by taking a small portion on each transaction: corrupt governments skimming money from foreign aid.
b. To fail to declare part of (certain income, such as winnings) to avoid tax payment.
c. To copy information from (a credit card) as part of a skimming fraud.So is he saying that he just prefers to skim (like embezzle from) the system?
Answer
This sense as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary would seem to be the intended one:
[4]b. To glide or pass quickly and lightly over or along (a surface).
The speaker’s metaphor here likens him to a seabird that skims (flies just above) the water’s surface, merely dipping in its bill now and then to grab a little something of value—a tasty fish—as opposed to diving right in after prey, at the risk of becoming so wetted as to be unable to take to the air again right away. The speaker is boasting that he likewise employs speed and agility to avoid entanglement with the criminal justice system even while committing crimes.
I have not seen the movie in question so this is subject to correction by those who have.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : aytug2001 , Answer Author : Brian Donovan
