Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Scratch

Scratch

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Scratched
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Scratching
.]
[OE.
cracchen
(perhaps influenced by OE.
scratten
to scratch); cf. OHG.
chrazzōn
, 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.]

Scratch

,
Verb.
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.]

Scratch

,
Noun.
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.
Shakespeare
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.
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.
start from scratch
to start (again) from the very beginning; also, to start without resources.

Scratch

,
Adj.
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 1828 Edition


Scratch

SCRATCH

,
Verb.
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

,
Verb.
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.

Definition 2024


scratch

scratch

English

Verb

scratch (third-person singular simple present scratches, present participle scratching, simple past and past participle scratched)

  1. To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc.
    Could you please scratch my back?
    • Jonathan Swift
      Be mindful, when invention fails, / To scratch your head, and bite your nails.
  2. To rub the skin with rough material causing a sensation of irritation.
    I don't like that new scarf because it scratches my neck.
    1. For a man, when kissing someone, to irritate the skin of that person with one's unshaven beard.
  3. To mark a surface with a sharp object, thereby leaving a scratch (noun).
    A real diamond can easily scratch a pane of glass.
  4. To cross out, strike out, strike through some text on a page.
    1. Hence, to remove, ignore or delete.
      Scratch what I said earlier; I was wrong.
      When the favorite was scratched from the race, there was a riot at the betting windows.
  5. (music) To produce a distinctive sound on a turntable by moving a vinyl record back and forth while manipulating the crossfader (see also scratching).
  6. (billiards) To commit a foul in pool, as where the cue ball is put into a pocket or jumps off the table.
    Embarrassingly, he scratched on the break, popping the cue completely off the table.
  7. (billiards, dated, US) To score, not by skillful play but by some fortunate chance of the game.
  8. To write or draw hastily or awkwardly.
    • Jonathan Swift
      Scratch out a pamphlet.
  9. To dig or excavate with the claws.
    Some animals scratch holes, in which they burrow.
  10. To dig or scrape (a person's skin) with claws or fingernails in self-defense or with the intention to injure.
    The cat scratched the little girl because she was playing with it too hard.

Derived terms

Synonyms

Translations

Noun

scratch (plural scratches)

  1. (countable) A disruption, mark or shallow cut on a surface made by scratching.
    I can’t believe there is a scratch in the paint already.
    Her skin was covered with tiny scratches.
    • William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
      God forbid a shallow scratch should drive / The prince of Wales from such a field as this.
    • Joseph Moxon (1627-1691)
      The coarse file [] makes deep scratches in the work.
    • 1709, Matthew Prior, Henry and Emma, line 503
      These nails with scratches deform my breast.
    • 1893, Walter Besant, The Ivory Gate, Prologue:
      Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess:
      A very neat old woman, still in her good outdoor coat and best beehive hat, was sitting at a polished mahogany table on whose surface there were several scored scratches so deep that a triangular piece of the veneer had come cleanly away, [].
  2. An act of scratching the skin to alleviate an itch or irritation.
    The dog sat up and had a good scratch.
  3. (sports)
    1. A starting line (originally and simply, a line scratched in the ground), as in boxing.
      (Can we find and add a quotation of Grose to this entry?)
    2. A technical error of touching or surpassing the starting mark prior to the official start signal in the sporting events of long jump, discus, hammer throw, shot put, and similar. Originally the starting mark was a scratch on the ground but is now a board or precisely indicated mark.
    3. (cycling) The last riders to depart in a handicap race.
    4. (billiards) An aberration.
      1. A foul in pool, as where the cue ball is put into a pocket or jumps off the table.
      2. (archaic, US, slang) A shot which scores by chance and not as intended by the player; a fluke.
  4. (slang) Money.
    • 2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, Picador 2007, p. 153:
      He and Bruce cooked up a script together, and Bruce flew home to raise the scratch.
  5. A feed, usually a mixture of a few common grains, given to chickens.
  6. (in the plural) 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.
    • 1887, James Law, The Farmer's Veterinary Adviser
      These are exemplified in the scurfy, scaly affections which appear in the bend of the knee (mallenders) and hock (sallenders) and on the lower parts of the limbs, by scratches, and by a scaly exfoliation [].
  7. A kind of wig covering only a portion of the head.
  8. (music) A genre of Virgin Islander music, better known as fungi.

Derived terms

Synonyms

Translations

Adjective

scratch (not comparable)

  1. For or consisting of preliminary or tentative, incomplete, etc. work.
    This is scratch paper, so go ahead and scribble whatever you want on it.
  2. Hastily assembled; put together in a hurry or from disparate elements.
    • 1988, James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, Oxford 2004, p. 740:
      Bluecoats began crossing the James on June 14 and next day two corps approached Petersburg, which was held by Beauregard with a scratch force of 2,500.
  3. (computing, from scratchpad) Relating to a data structure or recording medium attached to a machine for testing or temporary use.
  4. Constructed from whatever materials are to hand.
  5. (sports) (of a player) Of a standard high enough to play without a handicap, i.e. to compete without the benefit of a variation in scoring based on ability.
    • 1964, Charles Price, The American golfer, page 48:
      ... the shot that does most to make a genuine scratch golfer is the mashie shot up to the pin — not merely up to the green.
  6. Made, done, or happening by chance; arranged with little or no preparation; determined by circumstances; haphazard.
    a scratch team; a scratch crew for a boat race; a scratch shot in billiards
    a scratch race: one without restrictions regarding the entry of competitors

Derived terms

References


Spanish

Noun

scratch m (plural scratchs)

  1. (music) scratch