Adjacent Words

Scratch definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SCRATCH, v.t. [L. rado.]
1. To rub and tear the surface of any thing with something sharp or ragged; as, to scratch the cheeks with the nails; to scratch the earth with a rake; to scratch the hands or face by riding or running among briers.
A sort of small sand-colored stones, so hard as to scratch glass.
2. To wound slightly.
3. To rub with the nails.
Be mindful, when invention fails, to scratch your head and bite your nails.
4. To write or draw awkwardly; as, to scratch out a pamphlet. [Not in use.]
5. To dig or excavate with the claws. Some animals scratch holes in which they burrow.
To scratch out, to ease; to rub out; to obliterate.
SCRATCH, v.i. To use the claws in tearing the surface. The gallinaceous hen scratches for her chickens.
- Dull tame things that will neither bite nor scratch.
SCRATCH, n.
1. A rent; a break in the surface of a thing made by scratching, or by rubbing with any thing pointed or ragged; as a scratch on timber or glass.
The coarse file - makes deep scratches in the work.
These nails with scratches shall deform my breast.
2. A slight wound.
Heav'n forbid a shallow scratch should drive the prince of Wales from such a field as this.
3. A kind of wig worn for covering baldness or gray hairs, or for other purpose.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off [syn: abrasion, scratch, scrape, excoriation]
2: a depression scratched or carved into a surface [syn: incision, scratch, prick, slit, dent]
3: informal terms for money [syn: boodle, bread, cabbage, clams, dinero, dough, gelt, kale, lettuce, lolly, lucre, loot, moolah, pelf, scratch, shekels, simoleons, sugar, wampum]
4: a competitor who has withdrawn from competition
5: a line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game [syn: start, starting line, scratch, scratch line]
6: dry mash for poultry [syn: chicken feed, scratch]
7: a harsh noise made by scraping; "the scrape of violin bows distracted her" [syn: scrape, scraping, scratch, scratching]
8: poor handwriting [syn: scribble, scratch, scrawl, cacography]
9: (golf) a handicap of zero strokes; "a golfer who plays at scratch should be able to achieve par on a course"
10: an indication of damage [syn: scratch, scrape, scar, mark] v
1: cause friction; "my sweater scratches" [syn: rub, fray, fret, chafe, scratch]
2: cut the surface of; wear away the surface of [syn: scratch, scrape, scratch up]
3: scrape or rub as if to relieve itching; "Don't scratch your insect bites!" [syn: rub, scratch, itch]
4: postpone indefinitely or annul something that was scheduled; "Call off the engagement"; "cancel the dinner party"; "we had to scrub our vacation plans"; "scratch that meeting--the chair is ill" [syn: cancel, call off, scratch, scrub]
5: remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line; "Please strike this remark from the record"; "scratch that remark" [syn: strike, scratch, expunge, excise]
6: gather (money or other resources) together over time; "She had scraped together enough money for college"; "they scratched a meager living" [syn: scrape, scrape up, scratch, come up]
7: carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface; "engrave a pen"; "engraved the trophy cupt with the winner's"; "the lovers scratched their names into the bark of the tree" [syn: scratch, engrave, grave, inscribe]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English scracchen, probably blend of scratten to scratch and cracchen to scratch Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. to scrape or dig with the claws or nails 2. to rub and tear or mark the surface of with something sharp or jagged 3. a. to scrape or rub lightly (as to relieve itching) b. to act on (a desire) — used with itch <scratch the itch to travel> 4. to scrape together ; collect with difficulty or by effort <scratch out a living> 5. to write or draw on a surface 6. a. to cancel or erase by or as if by drawing a line through b. to withdraw (an entry) from competition 7. scribble, scrawl 8. to scrape along a rough surface <scratch a match> intransitive verb 1. to use the claws or nails in digging, tearing, or wounding 2. to scrape or rub oneself lightly (as to relieve itching) 3. to gather money or make a living by hard work and especially through irregular means and sacrifice <had to scratch and save for college> 4. a. to make a thin grating sound b. to produce a rhythmic scratching sound by moving a phonograph record back and forth under a phonograph needle 5. to withdraw from a contest or engagement 6. to make a scratch in billiards or pool • scratcher noun II. noun Date: circa 1586 1. a mark or injury produced by scratching; also a slight wound 2. scrawl, scribble 3. the sound made by scratching 4. the starting line in a race 5. a. a test of courage b. satisfactory condition, level, or performance <not up to scratch> 6. a contestant whose name is withdrawn 7. poultry feed (as mixed grains) scattered on the litter or ground especially to induce birds to exercise — called also scratch feed 8. a. a shot in billiards or pool that ends a player's turn; specifically a shot in pool in which the cue ball falls into the pocket b. a shot that scores by chance ; fluke 9. slang money, funds III. adjective Date: 1851 1. arranged or put together with little selection ; haphazard <a scratch team> 2. made as or used for a tentative effort 3. made or done by chance and not as intended <a scratch shot> 4. having no handicap or allowance <a scratch golfer> 5. made from scratch ; made with basic ingredients <a scratch cake>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v., n., & adj. --v. 1 tr. score or mark the surface of with a sharp or pointed object. 2 tr. a make a long narrow superficial wound in (the skin). b cause (a person or part of the body) to be scratched (scratched himself on the table). 3 tr. (also absol.) scrape without marking, esp. with the hand to relieve itching (stood there scratching). 4 tr. make or form by scratching. 5 tr. scribble; write hurriedly or awkwardly (scratched a quick reply; scratched a large A). 6 tr. (foll. by together, up, etc.) obtain (a thing) by scratching or with difficulty. 7 tr. (foll. by out, off, through) cancel or strike (out) with a pencil etc. 8 tr. (also absol.) withdraw (a competitor, candidate, etc.) from a race or competition. 9 intr. (often foll. by about, around, etc.) a scratch the ground etc. in search. b look around haphazardly (they were scratching about for evidence). --n. 1 a mark or wound made by scratching. 2 a sound of scratching. 3 a spell of scratching oneself. 4 colloq. a superficial wound. 5 a line from which competitors in a race (esp. those not receiving a handicap) start. 6 (in pl.) a disease of horses in which the pastern appears scratched. 7 sl. money. --attrib.adj. 1 collected by chance. 2 collected or made from whatever is available; heterogeneous (a scratch crew). 3 with no handicap given (a scratch race). Phrases and idioms: from scratch 1 from the beginning. 2 without help or advantage. scratch along make a living etc. with difficulty. scratch one's head be perplexed. scratch my back and I will scratch yours 1 do me a favour and I will return it. 2 used in reference to mutual aid or flattery. scratch pad 1 esp. US a pad of paper for scribbling. 2 Computing a small fast memory for the temporary storage of data. scratch the surface deal with a matter only superficially. up to scratch up to the required standard. Derivatives: scratcher n. Etymology: ME, prob. f. synonymous ME scrat & cratch, both of uncert. orig.: cf. MLG kratsen, OHG krazzon

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Scratch Scratch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Scratched; p. pr. & vb. n. Scratching.] [OE. cracchen (perhaps influenced by OE. scratten to scratch); cf. OHG. chrazz[=o]n, G. kratzen, OD. kratsen, kretsen, D. krassen, Sw. kratsa to scrape, kratta to rake, to scratch, Dan. kradse to scratch, to scrape, Icel. krota to engrave. Cf. Grate to rub.] 1. To rub and tear or mark the surface of with something sharp or ragged; to scrape, roughen, or wound slightly by drawing something pointed or rough across, as the claws, the nails, a pin, or the like. Small sand-colored stones, so hard as to scratch glass. --Grew. Be mindful, when invention fails, To scratch your head, and bite your nails. --Swift. 2. To write or draw hastily or awkwardly. ``Scratch out a pamphlet.'' --Swift. 3. To cancel by drawing one or more lines through, as the name of a candidate upon a ballot, or of a horse in a list; hence, to erase; to efface; -- often with out. 4. To dig or excavate with the claws; as, some animals scratch holes, in which they burrow. To scratch a ticket, to cancel one or more names of candidates on a party ballot; to refuse to vote the party ticket in its entirety. [U. S.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Scratch Scratch, v. i. 1. To use the claws or nails in tearing or in digging; to make scratches. Dull, tame things, . . . that will neither bite nor scratch. --Dr. H. More. 2. (Billiards) To score, not by skillful play but by some fortunate chance of the game. [Cant, U. S.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Scratch Scratch, a. Made, done, or happening by chance; arranged with little or no preparation; determined by circumstances; haphazard; as, a scratch team; a scratch crew for a boat race; a scratch shot in billiards. [Slang] Scratch race, one without restrictions regarding the entrance of competitors; also, one for which the competitors are chosen by lot.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Scratch Scratch, n. 1. A break in the surface of a thing made by scratching, or by rubbing with anything pointed or rough; a slight wound, mark, furrow, or incision. The coarse file . . . makes deep scratches in the work. --Moxon. These nails with scratches deform my breast. --Prior. God forbid a shallow scratch should drive The prince of Wales from such a field as this. --Shak. 2. (Pugilistic Matches) A line across the prize ring; up to which boxers are brought when they join fight; hence, test, trial, or proof of courage; as, to bring to the scratch; to come up to the scratch. [Cant] --Grose. 3. pl. (Far.) Minute, but tender and troublesome, excoriations, covered with scabs, upon the heels of horses which have been used where it is very wet or muddy. --Law (Farmer's Veter. Adviser). 4. A kind of wig covering only a portion of the head. 5. (Billiards) A shot which scores by chance and not as intended by the player; a fluke. [Cant, U. S.] Scratch cradle. See Cratch cradle, under Cratch. Scratch grass (Bot.), a climbing knotweed (Polygonum sagittatum) with a square stem beset with fine recurved prickles along the angles. Scratch wig. Same as Scratch, 4, above. --Thackeray.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Scratch Scratch, n. In various sports, the line from which the start is made, except in the case of contestants receiving a distance handicap.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(scratches, scratching, scratched) 1. If you scratch yourself, you rub your fingernails against your skin because it is itching. He scratched himself under his arm... The old man lifted his cardigan to scratch his side... I had to wear long sleeves to stop myself scratching. VERB: V pron-refl, V n, V 2. If a sharp object scratches someone or something, it makes small shallow cuts on their skin or surface. The branches tore at my jacket and scratched my hands and face... Knives will scratch the worktop. VERB: V n, V n 3. Scratches on someone or something are small shallow cuts. The seven-year-old was found crying with scratches on his face and neck... N-COUNT 4. If you do something from scratch, you do it without making use of anything that has been done before. Building a home from scratch can be both exciting and challenging... PHRASE: PHR after v 5. If you say that someone is scratching their head, you mean that they are thinking hard and trying to solve a problem or puzzle. The Institute spends a lot of time scratching its head about how to boost American productivity. PHRASE: V inflects 6. If you only scratch the surface of a subject or problem, you find out or do a small amount, but not enough to understand or solve it. Officials say they've only scratched the surface of the drug problem... We had only two weeks to tour Malaysia, which was hardly enough time to scratch the surface. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR of n 7. If you say that someone or something is not up to scratch, you mean that they are not good enough. My mother always made me feel I wasn't coming up to scratch. PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR, usu with brd-neg

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Mark with a scratch or with scratches. 2. Wound slightly (as with the nails). 3. Scribble, write carelessly. 4. Dig (with the claws), excavate. 5. Obliterate, expunge, erase, rub out. II. n. 1. Incision (slight and ragged), laceration, slight wound. 2. Slight furrow, score. 3. Scratch-wig, small wig, periwig, peruke.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

Old Scratch; the Devil: probably from the long and sharp claws with which he is frequently delineated.

Moby Thesaurus

ablation, abort, abrade, abrasion, abrasive, adequate, anamorphosis, attrition, autolithograph, bad likeness, barbouillage, bark, barley, be a printmaker, belch, bezel, bird seed, birthmark, blackhead, blare, blat, blaze, blaze a trail, bleb, blemish, blister, bloody, blot, blot out, blotch, bore, botch, bran, brand, bray, bread, break, bruise, buffing, bulla, burlesque, burn, burnishing, burr, burrow, buzz, cackle, canal, canalize, cancel, caricature, cartoon, carve, cash, caste mark, casual, cat food, caw, cease, chafe, chafing, chalk, chalk up, chamfer, channel, character, charcoal, chase, check, check off, checkmark, chicken feed, chink, chip, chips, chirr, chisel, chiseling, chop, cicatrix, cicatrize, clang, clangor, clank, clash, claw, close, coin, color, comedo, competent, competitive, conclude, concussion, copy, corn, corrugate, corrugation, crack, crackle, cranny, crater, craunch, crayon, craze, crease, cribble, croak, cross out, cross-hatching, crosshatch, crump, crunch, cursoriness, cut, dado, damage, dapple, dash, dash off, daub, defacement, defect, define, deformation, deformity, dele, delete, delimit, delineate, delve, demarcate, demitint, depict, design, determine, detrition, diagram, dig, dig out, dike, discolor, discoloration, disfiguration, disfigurement, distortion, ditch, do double duty, dog food, doodle, dot, dough, draft, draw, dredge, dressing, drill, drive, earmark, eatage, efface, eliminate, elucubrate, enchase, end, engrave, engravement, engraving, ensilage, epidermis, erase, erasure, erosion, etch, etching, excavate, exclude, expunge, extempore, exteriority, fault, feed, filing, finish, finish up, flash burn, flaw, fleck, flick, flute, fluting, fodder, forage, fracture, fray, frazzle, freckle, fret, fretting, furrow, gall, galling, gash, gem-engraving, glass-cutting, gloss, glyptic, goffer, good enough, gouge, gouge out, grain, grate, grave, graving, graze, grazing, greenbacks, grind, grinding, groan, groove, growl, grub, grumble, gully, hack, half tint, haphazard, hasty, hatch, hatching, hay, hemangioma, hen scratches, hen tracks, hickey, hit the ball, hurried, hurt, hustle, impress, imprint, impromptu, incise, incision, informal, injure, injury, inscribe, inscript, inscription, itch, jack, jangle, jar, jot, keloid, kink, lacerate, laceration, lentigo, lesion, limation, limn, line, lining, lithograph, lower, lucubrate, macula, maim, make a mark, make mincemeat of, make prints, makeshift, mar, mark, mark off, mark out, marking, mash, maul, mazuma, meal, mere scratch, microgroove, milium, mine, misdraw, mispaint, mole, mortal wound, mottle, mutilate, mutilation, needle scar, nevus, nick, no depth, no water, notch, oats, obliterate, off the cuff, overwork, paint, paint a picture, parody, pasturage, pasture, patch, pattes de mouche, pencil, pepper, perorate, pet food, picture, picturize, pierce, pimple, pinprick, pit, pleat, plow, pock, pockmark, point, polishing, polka dot, port-wine mark, port-wine stain, portray, pothookery, pothooks, pothooks and hangers, pour it on, prick, prickle, print, provender, punch, punctuate, puncture, pustule, quarry, rabbet, rasp, rasping, raze, rend, rent, resolve, riddle, rifle, rifling, rift, rind, rip, rough, rub, rub off, rub out, rubbing away, ruck, rule out, run, rupture, rut, sandblasting, sanding, sap, satisfactory, savage, scab, scald, scar, scarification, scarify, scoop, scoop out, scorch, score, scoring, scotch, scouring, scrabble, scranch, scrap, scrape, scraping, scratch feed, scratch out, scratching, scrawl, scribble, scribbling, scrub, scrubbing, scrunch, scuff, sculpture, scumble, seal, seam, sebaceous cyst, second-degree burn, shade, shallowness, shining, shoaliness, shovel, silage, sink, sketch, skin, slash, slashing, slave, slightness, slit, slops, smoothing, snarl, snore, sore, spade, speck, speckle, splash, split, splotch, sponge, sponge out, spot, sprain, stab, stab wound, stain, stamp, stencil, stick, stigma, stigmatize, sting, stipple, stippling, stop, strain, straw, strawberry mark, streak, stria, striate, striation, strike off, strike out, stripe, sty, sufficient, sulcation, sulcus, superficiality, superficies, surface, sweat, swill, tattoo, tattoo mark, tear, terminate, third-degree burn, thrill, tick, tick off, tingle, tint, tittle, tool, tooling, trace, track, trauma, traumatize, travesty, trench, triviality, trough, tunnel, twang, twist, type-cutting, underline, underscore, unplanned, unpremeditated, unprepared, up to scratch, up to snuff, veneer, verruca, vesicle, wale, wampum, warp, wart, watermark, weal, wear, wearing away, well-worn groove, welt, wen, wheat, whitehead, wind up, wipe out, work hard, work late, work overtime, wound, wounds immedicable, wrench, wrinkle