scruff
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
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informal an untidy scruffy person
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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.
Jacks took the game by the scruff of the neck after England stuttered to 105-5 in the 13th over.
From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026
Scotland shipped penalty after penalty during the Argentine onslaught as players tired and Santiago Carreras took the game by the scruff of its neck.
From BBC • Nov. 16, 2025
Moriarty figures heavily in the opening episodes of “Sherlock & Daughter” too, although Dougray Scott lends a malevolent scruff to him that Park’s interpretation tidies up.
From Salon • Apr. 16, 2025
He really grabbed the entire Pakistan team by the scruff of the neck.
From BBC • Oct. 26, 2024
I can’t attack these pups, can’t grab them by the scruff and shove their noses into a rodent hole, can’t make them do anything.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
