scree

noun

1. (uncountable)Loose stony debris on a slope.

   “To the north the towering scree-strewn slopes of Saddleback begin to draw nearer as we start the abrupt descent towards Keswick.”

   “Struggling down the slope, There's not much hope. I begin to try to ride the scree But the rocks are tumbling all around me.”

   “Sprawled prone among the rocks, the team waited for a reply to their request to fire. […] Occasional rounds zinged off the scree, each with a different pitch.”

2. (broadly, uncountable)Similar debris made up of broken building material such as bricks, concrete, etc.

   “Acres of the industrial port had been reduced to desolation, half-walls, half-chimneys, crazy sticks of steel that looped up out of concrete scree. The temptation not to clear and rebuild must have been strong.”

3. (countable)A slope made up of scree at the base of a cliff, mountain, etc.

   “The next landmark was an apachita 'cairn', at the top of a steep scree. Each pilgrim carried a stone to the summit, spat on it, and threw it on to the cairn — the purpose being, I was told, to relieve the soul of its sins […]”

4. A harsh, high-pitched sound or cry (as of a hawk).

   “I think both of our hearts must have gone into overdrive when we heard the metallic scree of a door being rolled open and the men's voices that accompanied it.”

   “For a few moments the only sound was the rasp of a file as Lee moved onto the last of Rowdy's hooves, the sound of John clipping, the scree of a hawk flying overhead and the occasional nicker from the horses already tied up.”

5. (Scotland)A coarse sieve.

verb

1. To traverse scree downhill.

   “We decided it would be fun to go down the face of the mountain screeing ("skiing" on scree).”

2. To make a high-pitched cry like that of a hawk.

   “They smelled the land before they saw it. A rich, dark odor of sweet earth, coming at them through a misty rain. Then seabirds appeared, crying and screeing.”

   “She didn't want to scream to alert Malicia or a guard. What could she do to get the boy's attention? Suddenly, the memory of the mountaintop came to her. The hawk. She screed like a hawk. The boy stopped and searched the sky, […]”

3. To flatten or level concrete while still wet, and remove protruding gravel and stones from the surface.

   “The crushing and screeing equipment owned by the TVA was transferred from job to job, and the availability of this equipment was one of the factors in determining who would produce the aggregate.”

   “Sequence of Construction – Circular Dog Kennel. […] Pour concrete. Use a straight 1-inch pipe about 12 feet long to scree each section. Extra help should be on hand to get screeing done. […] Specify a concrete mix that will not harden before screeing can be completed; do not order more concrete than can be property screed at one time; […]”

   “He was a stupid sonofabitch who didn't scree the concrete enough, his corner post was an eighth of an inch out of plumb, and what asshole set these louvers upside down?”

   “The sand bed is screed in preparation for laying the precast paving.”