<B>scrabble, </B>verb, <B>-bled,</B> <B>-bling,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to scratch or scrape about, as with hands or claws; scramble. <BR> <I>Ex. to scrabble up a sandbank. She scrabbled among the papers (H. G. Wells).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to struggle or scramble feverishly or desperately. <BR> <I>Ex. to scrabble for scraps of food, (Figurative.) to scrabble for a living. (Figurative.) Similar cars driven by other men scream and scrabble for a footing on the roadway (Atlantic).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to scrawl; scribble. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to scratch; scrape. <BR> <I>Ex. But Tubal got him a pointed rod, and scrabbled the earth for corn (Rudyard Kipling).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to scratch or rake hurriedly; obtain by scratching or raking about. <DD><B> 3. </B>to scrawl (something) or upon (something). <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a scrabbling; scraping; scramble. <DD><B> 2. </B>a scrawling character, writing, etc. </DL>
<A NAME="scrabble">
<B>Scrabble, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Trademark.) a game played on a board with small tiles having printed letters which the players try to fit together to spell words. </DL>
<A NAME="scrabbly">
<B>scrabbly, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> minor; unimportant. <BR> <I>Ex. They are writing about ... scrabbly little social problems (Harper's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="scrag">
<B>scrag</B> (1), noun, verb, <B>scragged,</B> <B>scragging.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a lean, skinny person or animal. An old bony horse is a scrag. <DD><B> 2. </B>the lean, bony end of a neck of veal or mutton. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Slang.) the neck. <DD><I>v.t. </I> (Slang.) <B>1a. </B>to wring the neck of. <DD><B> b. </B>to strangle. <DD><B> 2. </B>to hang on the gallows. </DL>
<A NAME="scrag">
<B>scrag</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British Dialect.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a stump of a tree. <DD><B> 2. </B>a rough projection on a pole, trunk, tree,rock, or the like. <DD><B> 3. </B>rough, rocky, or barren ground. [compare Scottish <I>scrog</I> stunted bush; origin uncertain] </DL>
<A NAME="scragginess">
<B>scragginess, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> scraggy quality or condition. </DL>
<A NAME="scraggling">
<B>scraggling, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> irregular in outline or distribution; straggling. </DL>
<A NAME="scraggly">
<B>scraggly, </B>adjective, <B>-glier,</B> <B>-gliest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> rough or irregular; ragged. <BR> <I>Ex. a scraggly growth of trees or hair.</I> </DL>
<B>scraggy</B> (2), adjective, <B>-gier,</B> <B>-giest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> rough in surface; broken in line; jagged; irregular; scraggly. <BR> <I>Ex. old scraggy bushes, scraggy and irregular handwriting.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="scram">
<B>scram, </B>verb, <B>scrammed,</B> <B>scramming,</B> interjection.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) <DD><I>v.i. </I> to go at once; leave immediately. <DD><I>interj. </I> begone! scat! </DL>
<A NAME="scramble">
<B>scramble, </B>verb, <B>-bled,</B> <B>-bling,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to make one's way by climbing, crawling, or jumping. <BR> <I>Ex. We scrambled up the steep, rocky hill.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to struggle with others for something. <BR> <I>Ex. The boys scrambled to get the football. (Figurative.) All those commuters rush to town to scramble for a living.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to get an aircraft into the air quickly to intercept unidentified aircraft. <BR> <I>Ex. You tumble out of bed ... You are to scramble on a practice flight to intercept an "enemy" bomber (H. L. Hogan).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(U.S. Football.) to run with the ball without the protection of blockers. <BR> <I>Ex. [He] ... bewildered the Packers with his scrambling (New York Times).</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to collect or gather up in a hurry or without method. <BR> <I>Ex. Juliet, scrambling up her hair, darted into the house (Bulwer-Lytton).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to mix together in a confused way. <DD><B> 3. </B>to cook and stir (eggs) in a pan with the whites and yolks mixed together. <DD><B> 4. </B>to put (aircraft) into the air quickly to intercept unidentified aircraft. <BR> <I>Ex. Reservists ... stood ready to scramble fighters aloft to intercept any unidentified planes (Time).</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to break up or mix (a message, radio or television signal, or telephone message) so that it cannot be received and understood without special equipment. <BR> <I>Ex. The broadcasting is done by coding or scrambling the pictures so that the general public can't receive them unless they pay for a special device to unscramble the broadcast on their sets (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a climb or walk over rough ground. <BR> <I>Ex. It was a long scramble through bushes and over rocks to the top of the hill.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a struggle to possess. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) the scramble for wealth and power. (Figurative.) Politics is sometimes nothing but a scramble for office.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>any disorderly struggle or activity; scrambling. <BR> <I>Ex. The pile of boys on the football seemed a wild scramble of arms and legs.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(in the Air Force) the act or process of scrambling. <BR> <I>Ex. If there's a scramble, you fly, regardless of weather (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="scrambler">
<B>scrambler, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who scrambles <DD><B> 2. </B>a device for breaking up a telephone, radio, or television signal. <DD><B> 3. </B>(U.S. Football.) a quarterback who scrambles. <BR> <I>Ex. [He] is known in the trade as a "scrambler," who would just as soon run as throw, who can turn a potential 10-yd. loss into a 50-yd. gain (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="scramblingly">
<B>scramblingly, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> in a scrambling or haphazard manner. </DL>
<A NAME="scrambly">
<B>scrambly, </B>adjective, <B>-blier,</B> <B>-bliest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> scrambled; disorganized. <BR> <I>Ex. I find the lovers' climatic quarrel in Act II a scratchy, scrambly business (Punch).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="scramjet">
<B>scramjet, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a ramjet which produces thrust by burning fuel in an airstream moving at supersonic speeds. <BR> <I>Ex. Scramjets theoretically could extend flight speeds to at least Mach 14 (New Scientist).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>an aircraft powered by a scramjet. </DL>
<A NAME="scran">
<B>scran, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Dialect.) scraps of food; provision; fare. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Irish Slang.) luck. <BR> <I>Ex. bad scran.</I> </DL>
<B>scrap</B> (1), noun, verb, <B>scrapped,</B> <B>scrapping,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a small piece; little bit; small part left over. <BR> <I>Ex. I gave some scraps of meat to the dog. Put the scraps of paper in the wastebasket. (Figurative.) The girls haven't a scrap of imagination (John Galsworthy).</I> (SYN) remnant. <DD><B> 2. </B>a bit of something written or printed; short extract. <BR> <I>Ex. She read aloud scraps from the letter.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>old or discarded metal fit only to be melted and used again. <BR> <I>Ex. About half of all our new steel is old steel, otherwise known as scrap (New Yorker).</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to make into scraps; break up. <DD><B> 2. </B>to throw aside as useless or worn out; discard. <BR> <I>Ex. Existing plans could be scrapped and fresh ones made (London Times).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>in the form of scraps. <BR> <I>Ex. scrap metal.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>made of scraps or fragments; useful only as scrap. <BR><I>expr. <B>scraps,</B> </I>the remains of animal fat after the oil has been tried out. <BR> <I>Ex. We had codfish and pork scraps for dinner.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="scrap">
<B>scrap</B> (2), noun, intransitive verb, <B>scrapped,</B> <B>scrapping.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) fight, quarrel, or struggle. <BR> <I>Ex. Let's not have a scrap about it. Those two dogs are always scrapping.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="scrapbook">
<B>scrapbook, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a book in which pictures or clippings are mounted and kept. </DL>
<A NAME="scrape">
<B>scrape, </B>verb, <B>scraped,</B> <B>scraping,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to rub with something sharp or rough; make smooth or clean by doing this. <BR> <I>Ex. Scrape your muddy shoes with this knife.</I> <DD><B> 2a. </B>to remove by rubbing with something sharp or rough. <BR> <I>Ex. to scrape mud off shoes. The man scraped some paint off the table when he pushed it through the doorway.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to scratch or graze by rubbing against something rough. <BR> <I>Ex. She fell and scraped her knee on the sidewalk.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to rub with a harsh sound. <BR> <I>Ex. to scrape the floor with one's chair. Don't scrape your feet on the floor.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to dig. <BR> <I>Ex. The child scraped a hole in the sand.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to collect by scraping or with difficulty. <BR> <I>Ex. The hungry boy scraped up the last crumbs from his plate. (Figurative.) He has scraped together enough money to buy a bicycle.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>to smooth the surface of (an unpaved road), as with a bulldozer. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to rub harshly. <BR> <I>Ex. The branch of the tree scraped against a window.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to give a harsh sound; grate. <DD><B> 3. </B>to gather with labor and difficulty; hoard up. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) He scraped long and hard to earn a living for his family.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) to manage with difficulty. <BR> <I>Ex. That family can just scrape along but never asks for charity.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Figurative.) to bow with a drawing back of the foot. <BR> <I>Ex. Bowing and scraping and rubbing his hands together (Anthony Trollope).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the act of scraping. <DD><B> 2. </B>a scraped place. <DD><B> 3. </B>a harsh, grating sound. <BR> <I>Ex. the scrape of the bow of a violin.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) a position hard to get out of; difficulty; predicament. <BR> <I>Ex. Boys often get into scrapes.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Figurative.) a bow with a drawing back of the foot. <BR><I>expr. <B>scrape through,</B> </I>to get through with difficulty. <BR> <I>Ex. to scrape through a narrow opening. He barely scraped through the examination.</I> </DL>
