skewer

/ˈskjuː.ə/

Etymology

From Middle English skeuier, skuer, likely a variant of Middle English *skever, *skiver (compare Modern English skiver), probably of North Germanic origin, compare Icelandic skífa (“to slice”), Norwegian skive, Swedish skiva, Swedish skifer (“a slate”).

noun

A long pin, normally made of metal or wood, used to secure food during cooking.“Larissa, 107 miles from Salonica, is reached at 10.33, and there is a halt of 17 min. while vendors of oranges, cheese, meat on skewers, sweetmeats, and Turkish coffee do a brisk trade.”
Food served on a skewer.
A scenario in which a piece attacks a more valuable piece which, if it moves aside, exposes a less valuable piece.
That which skews something.

verb

To impale on a skewer.
To attack a piece which has a less valuable piece behind it.
To severely mock or discredit.“Parody, in its purest form, is an act of both mockery and appreciation. True masters of the practice possess a bone-deep understanding of their targets; they skewer because they love—or at least, because they’ve done their homework.”