English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Probably of North Germanic origin, from or cognate with Old Norse skran (rubbish; marine stores). Compare Icelandic skran (junk), Danish skrammel (junk, lumber). Doublet of scrawn.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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scran (uncountable)

  1. (UK, Ireland, slang) Food, especially that of an inferior quality; grub.
    Synonyms: (Geordie) scrawn; see also Thesaurus:food
    Let wi gan and get some scran am starvin man!
    Let's go and get some food. I'm starving!
    • 1853, Charles John Chetwynd Talbot, Meliora, Or, Better Times to Come, page 247:
      I know there are many persons — some who are themselves poor — who 'never turn a beggar from their door,' but always give them a few browns (halfpence) or some scran (broken victuals).
  2. Refuse; rubbish.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Welsh: sgram

References

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Verb

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scran (third-person singular simple present scrans, present participle scranning, simple past and past participle scranned)

  1. (slang, Liverpool, Manchester, Scotland) To eat.
  2. (slang, Northern England) To steal in an impish manner; pinch, nick.

Anagrams

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