QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Idioms for scratch
- from the very beginning or starting point.
- from nothing; without resources: After the depression he started another business from scratch.
from scratch,
up to scratch, in conformity with a certain standard; adequate; satisfactory: The local symphony orchestra has improved this year, but it is still not up to scratch.
Origin of scratch
1425–75; late Middle English scracche (v.), blend of Middle English scratte to scratch, and cracche to scratch; cognate with Middle Dutch cratsen
OTHER WORDS FROM scratch
Words nearby scratch
scraping, scrap iron, scrapper, scrapple, scrappy, scratch, scratch awl, scratchboard, scratch card, scratch coat, scratcher
Definition for scratch (2 of 2)
Scratch
[ skrach ]
/ skrætʃ /
noun
Old Scratch; Satan.
Origin of Scratch
1730–40; alteration of scrat hermaphrodite (late Middle English scratte; compare Old English scritta (once), which may be an error for *scratta); cognate with Old Norse skratti devil, goblin, wizard, Old High German skraz wood-demon
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for scratch
British Dictionary definitions for scratch
scratch
/ (skrætʃ) /
verb
noun
adjective
See also scratches, scratch together
Derived forms of scratch
scratchy, adjectivescratchily, adverbscratchiness, nounWord Origin for scratch
C15: via Old French escrater from Germanic; compare Old High German krazzōn (German kratzen); related to Old French gratter to grate 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with scratch
scratch
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.