Scupper. A scupper is an opening in the wall of a building through which water drains. Scuppers are most often found at the edge of the roof or within a parapet. The scupper in this photograph is in the side wall of the parapet of a house on Watson Road in the Watson Park/McCord neighborhood.
The origin of the word “scupper” is attributed variously to the French word, “escopir,” which means to spit out, or the Middle English word “scope,” which means to scoop. Scuppers are also used on boats at deck level to allow water that splashes onto the deck to drain out the sides. The Irish sea shanty “What shall we do with a Drunken Sailor?” includes the verse, “tie him to the scuppers with a hose pipe on him,” among its many colorful answers to the question posed by the title.
