sclaff

[ sklaf ]

/ sklæf /

Golf.

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verb (used with object)

to scrape (the ground) with the head of the club just before impact with the ball.

verb (used without object)

to sclaff the ground with the club.

noun

a sclaffing stroke.

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Origin of sclaff

1890–95; special use of Scots sclaf to shuffle

OTHER WORDS FROM sclaff

sclaffer, noun

Words nearby sclaff

scissure, sci-tech, Scituate, sciurine, sciuroid, sclaff, SCLC, scler-, sclera, scleral, sclere

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sclaff in a sentence

Sclaff: Hitting the ground behind the ball first, thus not getting a clean stroke.
The Sportswoman's Library, Vol. 1 of 2|Various
When, as often happens, this is done too suddenly, a sclaff is the result.
The Complete Golfer [1905]|Harry Vardon

British Dictionary definitions for sclaff

sclaff

/ (sklæf) golf /

verb

Also: duff to cause (the club) to hit (the ground behind the ball) when making a stroke

noun

a sclaffing stroke or shot

Derived forms of sclaff

sclaffer, noun

Word Origin for sclaff

C19: from Scottish sclaf to shuffle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012