scratch
Noun:
- A mark or injury on a surface: A shallow cut, groove, or mark made by something sharp or rough on a surface, especially skin.
- The act or sound of scraping: The action or harsh, grating sound produced by rubbing a rough or sharp object against a surface.
- A starting line or point: A line drawn to mark the starting point for competitors in a race or contest.
- Informal term for money: (Slang) Cash or funds.
- A hasty or poor piece of writing: Careless or illegible handwriting; something written quickly.
Verb:
- To score or mark a surface: To make a shallow cut or mark on a surface with something sharp or pointed.
- To rub to relieve itching: To rub one's skin with fingernails or a rough object to alleviate an itch.
- To cancel or withdraw: To decide not to do something that was planned; to remove someone or something from a list.
- To gather with difficulty: To collect or assemble something, especially money, slowly and with effort.
- To make a scraping sound: To produce a rough, grating noise by rubbing against something.
Noun:
- There is a deep scratch on the car door from the shopping cart.
- The only sound was the scratch of his pen on paper.
- All runners must start from scratch.
- I need some scratch to pay for lunch.
Verb:
- Be careful not to scratch the table with that key.
- Try not to scratch the mosquito bite; it will only make it worse.
- We had to scratch the picnic because of the storm.
- He managed to scratch together enough cash for the train ticket.
"From scratch": From the very beginning, without using anything that already exists.
- She learned to bake and made the cake completely from scratch.
"Up to scratch": Meeting the required standard; satisfactory.
- His recent work hasn't been up to scratch.
"Scratch the surface": To deal with only the superficial or obvious parts of something.
- The investigation only scratched the surface of the corruption.
Scratchy (adj): Rough in texture, causing a scratching sensation; making a scratching sound.
- This wool sweater is very scratchy.
Scratcher (n): A person or thing that scratches; (informal) a lottery ticket that is scratched to reveal a prize.
- The cat is a relentless scratcher of the furniture.
- Noun: Scrape, mark, graze, nick, line.
- Verb: Scrape, graze, claw, etch, cancel, withdraw.
Scratch out: To remove something by drawing a line through it; to achieve something with great difficulty.
- He scratched out the wrong answer and wrote the correct one.
- They scratched out a living on the small farm.
Scratch around/ about for: To search for something in a hurried or haphazard way.
- I had to scratch around for some change to pay for parking.
"You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours": An expression meaning if you help me, I will help you in return (implying mutual assistance, sometimes with a hint of favor-trading).
- I'll help you with your project if you help me with mine. You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours.
"Not up to scratch": Not good enough; failing to meet the expected standard.
- The quality of the materials was not up to scratch.
- an indication of damage
- (golf) a handicap of zero strokes
- a golfer who plays at scratch should be able to achieve par on a course
- poor handwriting
- a harsh noise made by scraping
- the scrape of violin bows distracted her
- dry mash for poultry
- a line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game
- a competitor who has withdrawn from competition
- informal terms for money
- a depression scratched or carved into a surface
- an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off
- 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
- gather (money or other resources) together over time
- She had scraped together enough money for college
- they scratched a meager living
- remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line
- Please strike this remark from the record
- scratch that remark
- 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
- scrape or rub as if to relieve itching
- Don't scratch your insect bites!
- cut the surface of; wear away the surface of
- cause friction
- my sweater scratches