skjár

m. (the older form was prob. ské, analogous to lé, klé, q. v.):—a window (the opening). In old dwellings the openings were round, fitted with a hoop or frame (called skjá-grind), which had a membrane (skjall) stretched over it, and this was used instead of glass, and could be taken out at pleasure-; such windows are still found in Icel. farm-houses, all such openings being in the roof, not in the walls, cp. Nj. ch. 78 (init.); and when the frame was taken out, these openings served as outlets for smoke. In some instances skjár seems to be used synonymously with ljóri (q. v.); the hlið-skjár (q. v.), or ‘side-skjar,’ would then answer to the window or opening in mod. Icel. dwellings; hristust skjáir (chimney-pot = mod. strompr. q. v.)á húsum sem fyrir vindi hvössum, Ann. 1341; Þorbjörn þreif upp stokk ok reisti undir skjáinn ok fór þar út, Gullþ. 19; taka af skjána ok láta leggja út reykinn, Fbr. 99 new Ed.; ef menn sitja í húsum þeim er skjáir eru á, þá er svá ljóst inni, at hverr maðr kennir annan, Sks. 47 new Ed.; konungr hafði gört skjá fyrir stofuna, Fms. vii. 34; fara upp á stofuna ok taka af skjáinn (i. e. the frame), Fbr. 170; hann kastaði því inn um skjáinn, Fas. ii. 81; brutu þeir stofuna um skjána, Sturl. i. 168; hlið-skjár, Sturl. ii. 85; hann hlörar við hliðskjáinn er á var stofunni, Bs. i. 628: the phrase, nú gengr eigi skjall á skjá, N. G. L. i. 384 (see skjall); krumminn á skjá, skjá, skekr belgi þrjá, a nursery rhyme.