Definition

1. Noun:

   • A strong feeling of dislike or disgust; an aversion: "scunner" refers to a deep-seated, often irrational, dislike or repugnance towards someone or something.
   • (Chiefly Scottish & Northern English) A person or thing that causes such disgust: It can also refer to the object of this strong dislike.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • (Chiefly Scottish) To feel disgust or strong dislike: To experience a sense of loathing or nausea, often in reaction to something.

3. Verb (transitive):

   • (Chiefly Scottish) To disgust; to nauseate: To cause someone to feel a strong sense of aversion or repugnance.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • He took a scunner at the new policy and refused to support it.
  • That man is a complete scunner; I can't stand to be near him.

• Verb (intransitive):

  • I scunner at the very thought of eating snails.
  • She scunnered when she saw the state of the kitchen.

• Verb (transitive):

  • The hypocrisy of the politician scunnered the voters.
  • The smell from the dump scunners me.

Advanced Usage

• "to take a scunner at/against/to someone/something": This is the most common idiomatic construction for the noun. It means to develop a strong and lasting dislike for someone or something.
  • Ever since he was rude to her, she's taken a scunner against him.
  • They took a scunner to the idea from the very beginning.

Variants and Related Words

• Scunnered (adjective, chiefly Scottish): Feeling disgusted or fed up.
  • I'm fair scunnered with this rainy weather.
• Scunnering (adjective, present participle): Causing disgust.
  • It was a scunnering sight.

Synonyms

• Noun: Aversion, dislike, antipathy, repugnance, loathing.
• Verb (intransitive): Loathe, recoil, feel disgust.
• Verb (transitive): Disgust, repel, nauseate, revolt.

Related Phrases

• "to give someone a scunner": To cause someone to feel disgusted.
  • His constant complaining gives me a scunner.

Noun

1. a strong dislike
   • they took a scunner against the United States