scrag
Americannoun
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a lean or scrawny person or animal.
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the lean end of a neck of veal or mutton.
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Slang. the neck of a human being.
verb (used with object)
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Slang. to wring the neck of; hang; garrote.
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Metallurgy. to test (spring steel) by bending.
noun
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a thin or scrawny person or animal
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the lean end of a neck of veal or mutton
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informal the neck of a human being
verb
Etymology
Origin of scrag
First recorded in 1535–45; obscurely akin to crag 2
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.
See Examples For:
After all, eggs hatched at 40 plus, like mine, represent the scrag end of the market.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 18, 2014
The expressionist body is a scrag of mutton with big extremities, very unlike the prosperous Renaissance nudes that, however mutated, survived in Picasso and Matisse.
From Time Magazine Archive
Take a scrag or knuckle of veal, slices of undressed gammon of bacon, onions, mace, and simmer them in a small quantity of water, till it is very strong.
From The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches, Adapted to the Use of Private Families by Eaton, Mary, fl. 1823-1849
Take four pounds of beef, a scrag of mutton, about a dozen large carrots, four onions, some pepper and salt; put them into a gallon of water, and boil very gently for four hours.
From The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory; In Which will Be Found a Large Collection of Original Receipts. 3rd ed. by Bury, Charlotte Campbell, Lady
“Why, then, we’ll just fail, that’s all; an’ if they should scrag us for it, no matter.”
From The Battle and the Breeze by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)
That setback, getting scragged by Ardie Savea at the back of the breakdown, will have preyed on his mind.
From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2022
A chasing Maro Itoje scragged Hugo Keenan and pints were spilled in delight.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2022
Peter Nelson was almost to the tryline when he was scragged by Beauden Barrett.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 2, 2019
Petri takes it but he’s scragged and knocks on on halfway.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 11, 2015
Her face was thrust forward almost into the room, her long scragged neck was stretched to its full length, and her whole person advanced with the utmost eagerness.
From Captain Kyd, Vol. II or, The Wizard of the Sea by Ingraham, Jonathon Holt
The best ones have been breathtaking, beginning with the 5-3 scragging of Chelsea on New Year’s Day 2015, when a Spurs team with five Bale-money hang-overs in the squad ran the champions-in-waiting into the ground.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 27, 2019
But still De Gea came back for more, bristling like a lovable cartoon puppy, the hardest kid in chess club, seeming to grow in conviction with every scragging.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 19, 2013
The prop Davit Zirakashvili was in the sin bin then after scragging Richard Wigglesworth from a blatantly offside position.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 9, 2010
For this she was put to scragging, second-picking the bushes that had a few inferior puffs left on the twigs by swifter hands than hers.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
And then to rampage they begin; Sweet William is scragging a rose; Sweet-pea in a neighborly way, Is pulling young marigold's nose!
From Donahoe's Magazine, Vol. XV, No. 4, April, 1886 Volume 15 (January 1886 - July 1886) by Various
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.
