scruff

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /skɹʌf/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌf

Etymology 1

See scurf.

Noun

scruff (countable and uncountable, plural scruffs)

1. Someone with an untidy appearance.

   That candidate will never get the job: he's a right scruff.

2. Stubble, facial hair (on males).
3. (obsolete) Crust.
4. (obsolete) Scurf.

Derived terms

• Apple scruff
• scruffy

Translations

Someone with an untidy appearance

• Bulgarian: мърльо m (mǎrljo)
• Finnish: törkimys (fi), epäsiisti henkilö
• German: Schmutzfink (de) m
• Polish: brudas (pl) m, niedomytek m, kocmołuch (pl) m, fleja (pl) f, flejtuch (pl) m, prosię (pl) n, świntuch (pl) m, szuszwol (pl) m (dialectal, Greater Poland), niechluj (pl) m
• Spanish: zarrapastroso (es)

Etymology 2

A kitten being carried by its scruff.

1790, from earlier (1787) scuft, influenced by scruff (“crust”). Related to North Frisian skuft (“back of the neck of a horse”) and Dutch schoft (“withers (of a horse)”), from Proto-Germanic. Compare also Old Norse skopt (“hair of the head”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌿𐍆𐍄 (skuft, “hair of the head”), Middle High German schopf (German Schopf).

Noun

scruff (plural scruffs)

1. The loose skin at the back of the neck of some animals.
2. (rare) The back of the neck, nape; also scruff of the neck.

   He grabbed his unruly child by the scruff of the neck, and took him home.

Usage notes

Strictly refers to the loose skin at the back of the neck – found on many mammals, though not humans – rather than the back of the neck itself. While this distinction is not always observed, scruff is used almost exclusively in the phrase “to grab [someone/something] by the scruff [of the neck]”.

Synonyms

• nape
• nucha, nuchal (medical)
• withers (of a horse)

Translations

loose skin at the back of the neck of some animals

• Bashkir: елкә (yelkə)
• Finnish: niskanahka
• Galician: pescozo (gl) m
• Icelandic: hnakkadramb n
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: nakkeskinn n

  Nynorsk: nakkeskinn n

• Portuguese: cangote (pt) m
• Russian: загри́вок (ru) m (zagrívok)
• Spanish: pescuezo (es) m
• Swedish: nackskinnet

scruff of the neck

• Bashkir: елкә (yelkə)
• Bulgarian: тил (bg) m (til)
• Catalan: clotell m
• Finnish: niskavillat
• Galician: pescozo (gl) m
• German: Schlafittchen (de) n, Genick (de) n
• Russian: шки́рка (ru) m (škírka) (informal)
• Spanish: pescuezo (es) m

Verb

scruff (third-person singular simple present scruffs, present participle scruffing, simple past and past participle scruffed)

1. (transitive) To lift or carry by the scruff.
   • 2023, Anastasia Ryan, You Should Smile More:

     She gently scruffed the kitten who was trying to climb her leg.

See also

• scuff