scads
UK: skædz | US: skædz
n. a large quantity or amount (often used informally)
The word "scads" likely originates from the mid-19th century, possibly borrowed from Scandinavian dialects (e.g., Norwegian "skad" or Danish "skade," meaning "harm" or "damage," though the semantic shift to "large amount" is unclear). Alternatively, it may derive from the earlier English slang term "scad," meaning "a dollar," which evolved to denote abundance. The plural "-s" reinforces its collective meaning. Despite its informal tone, "scads" has persisted in English to emphasize exaggerated quantities.
She inherited scads of money from her grandfather.
The festival attracted scads of tourists this year.
He has scads of old vinyl records in his attic.
We found scads of seashells along the shore.
The project generated scads of paperwork.