scruff
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
-
informal an untidy scruffy person
-
informal a disreputable person, ruffian
-
another name for scum
noun
Etymology
Origin of scruff1
1780–90; variant of dial. scuff, scuft < Dutch schoft horse's withers
Origin of scruff2
Metathetic variant of scurf
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
O'Neill has dragged them forward by the scruff of the neck, but it has all looked very tired, very stressful, very on the edge of blowing up.
From BBC
Jacks took the game by the scruff of the neck after England stuttered to 105-5 in the 13th over.
From Barron's
An older boy—judging by his height and the little bit of scruff on his chin —was in the living room draped over a flowered couch with an open book covering his face.
From Literature
"It just takes someone to grab this by the scruff of the neck and deal with this in the manner that it should be," he said.
From BBC
No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked lost to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
