📖 S — The English dictionary · page 18

scrooge — Everyday, meaning 1: (a name) Ebenezer Scrooge is the mean old man in Charles Dickens's story "A Christmas Carol" (1843), who learns to be kind and generous after visits from three ghosts.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) A mean person who hates spending money or does not enjoy Christmas.↗ Example: Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three ghosts.↗ · "Bah!↗ Humbug!" says Scrooge.↗ · Don't be such a scrooge — share your sweets!↗ · At the end of the story, Scrooge becomes generous.↗ · Dad is a bit of a scrooge about turning the heating on.↗ · The Muppets made a film of Scrooge's story.↗

scrounger — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal, UK) A person who often gets things from others without paying or working for them.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (insulting) A person who is said to live off other people or the government instead of working — this is often an unfair, hurtful label.↗ Example: My brother is a scrounger — he always eats my crisps.↗ · The seagull is a scrounger, waiting for chips.↗ · "Stop being a scrounger and buy your own!"↗ · Some newspapers call poor people scroungers, which is unkind.↗ · The cat is a real scrounger at dinnertime.↗ · He's a scrounger; he never brings his own pencil.↗

scrub — Everyday, meaning 1: To scrub means to clean something by rubbing it hard, often with a brush, soap and water.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Scrub is land covered with low bushes and small trees, with little grass.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Scrubs are the loose, plain clothes that doctors and nurses wear in hospital.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To scrub something (informal) means to cancel it.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: A scrub is a quick wash in water.↗ Example: Scrub your hands with soap for twenty seconds.↗ · Dad scrubbed the burnt pan until it shone.↗ · I scrubbed the mud off my football boots.↗ · The path went through dry scrub full of lizards.↗ · Doctors scrub up before an operation.↗ · The nurse was wearing blue scrubs.↗ · Give the potatoes a good scrub before cooking.↗ · Rain made them scrub the school trip.↗ · "My Father!" says the Prince; "let an old fellow of ours have a scrub first, just to try the bath-room."↗

scrubbed — Everyday, meaning 1: Scrubbed is the past form of «scrub»: to clean something by rubbing it hard, often with a brush, soap and water.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Scrubbed (clean) means very clean after scrubbing.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Scrubbed can also mean cancelled, for example a rocket launch was scrubbed.↗ Example: She scrubbed her hands with soap after gardening.↗ · We scrubbed the muddy football boots.↗ · Dad scrubbed the pan until it shone.↗ · The floor was scrubbed clean for the party.↗ · The surgeon scrubbed up before the operation.↗ · The rocket launch was scrubbed because of bad weather.↗ · After him the young couple also went into the bath-room, were lathered and scrubbed,[146] and then went home.↗

scrubbing — Everyday, meaning 1: Scrubbing is cleaning something by rubbing it hard, usually with a brush and soap or water.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A scrubbing is one act of cleaning in this way: «The bath needs a good scrubbing.».↗ Example: Keep scrubbing your hands for twenty seconds.↗ · Mum was scrubbing the kitchen floor.↗ · The bath needs a good scrubbing.↗ · I'm scrubbing the mud off my shoes.↗ · Use the scrubbing brush on the grill.↗ · Scrubbing your teeth too hard can hurt your gums; brush gently.↗ · On bringing him home he resorted to every means of cleaning, and subjected the man to incessant scrubbings.↗

scruff — Everyday, meaning 1: The scruff (of the neck) is the loose skin at the back of an animal's neck; mother cats carry kittens by it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A scruff is an untidy, dirty-looking person (informal, UK).↗ Example: The mother cat carried her kitten by the scruff.↗ · He grabbed the puppy by the scruff to stop it running into the road.↗ · The teacher took the bully by the scruff of the neck.↗ · Go and wash — you look like a scruff!↗ · Don't pick up an adult cat by the scruff; it can hurt.↗ · The lioness lifted her cub gently by the scruff.↗ · Tom done nothing but take the fellow by the scruff o' the neck and the waistband of his corduroys, and fling him into the canal.↗

scruffy — Everyday, meaning 1: Untidy and a bit dirty or worn out, about a person, clothes or a place.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (of an animal) With messy, rough fur.↗ Example: His jumper was scruffy with holes in the elbows.↗ · A scruffy little dog followed us home.↗ · Tuck your shirt in — you look scruffy.↗ · The garden looked scruffy after the winter.↗ · Her handwriting was scruffy because she rushed.↗ · The scruffy old teddy was still his favourite.↗

scrum — Everyday, meaning 1: In rugby, a way of restarting play in which players from each team pack together with arms linked, push against each other and try to win the ball with their feet.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) A crowd of people pushing to get somewhere or something.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (work, computing) Scrum is a way teams of programmers plan work in short bursts called sprints.↗ Example: The two rugby teams packed down for a scrum.↗ · The ball was fed into the scrum and our side won it.↗ · There was a scrum at the canteen door when the bell went.↗ · Photographers formed a scrum around the famous singer.↗ · The scrum-half passed the ball out quickly.↗ · In Scrum, the software team meets for a few minutes every day.↗

scrumptious — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal) Extremely tasty and delicious.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal) Very attractive or delightful.↗ Example: This chocolate cake is scrumptious!↗ · Willy Wonka made scrumptious sweets.↗ · Grandma's apple pie is simply scrumptious.↗ · We had a scrumptious picnic in the park.↗ · The café sells scrumptious pancakes.↗ · «Scrumptious!» said the giant, licking his lips.↗

scrunch — Everyday, meaning 1: To scrunch means to squeeze or crush something into a small, untidy ball or shape.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To scrunch up your face or eyes means to squeeze them tight.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Scrunch can be the crunching sound of walking on gravel, snow or dry leaves.↗ Example: He scrunched up the paper and threw it in the bin.↗ · She scrunched her nose at the smell.↗ · Scrunch the tissue paper to make petals.↗ · The leaves scrunched under our boots.↗ · I scrunched my eyes shut during the scary part.↗ · Foil stays scrunched, but a sponge springs back.↗

scruple — Everyday, meaning 1: A scruple is a feeling that stops you doing something because you think it may be wrong.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To scruple is to hesitate to do something because you think it may be wrong.↗ Example: He had no scruples about lying.↗ · The man did not scruple to tell a long story.↗ · She did not scruple to take the last cake.↗

scrupulous — Everyday, meaning 1: Scrupulous means very careful to do what is right and fair.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Scrupulous means very careful and exact about small details.↗ Example: The judge was scrupulous and fair.↗ · She kept scrupulous records of every penny.↗ · The cook was scrupulous about clean hands.↗

scud — Everyday, meaning 1: To scud is to run or move quickly and lightly away.↗ Example: The hare scudded away into the bushes.↗ · The clouds scudded across the sky.↗ · The mouse scudded under the door when the cat came in.↗

scuffle — Everyday, meaning 1: A scuffle is a short, confused fight with pushing and grabbing, usually not very serious.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To scuffle means to fight in this way.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To scuffle (along) means to walk dragging your feet, or to make a scraping noise.↗ Example: A scuffle broke out in the lunch queue.↗ · Two boys scuffled over a football.↗ · There was a brief scuffle, but no one was hurt.↗ · Police broke up a scuffle outside the stadium.↗ · We heard something scuffling in the attic.↗ · He scuffled along in his slippers.↗ · The teacher stepped in before the scuffle got worse.↗ · Then a great scuffling of feet was heard, and in a few minutes the hall was clear.↗

scull — Everyday, meaning 1: One of a pair of oars that one rower uses, one in each hand.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A light, narrow racing boat rowed with sculls.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To row a boat using a pair of sculls, or using one oar at the back of the boat moved from side to side.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (verb, Australia, NZ, informal) To drink a whole drink very quickly in one go (this is for grown-ups at parties).↗ Example: Ratty sculled gently up the river.↗ · Mole snatched the sculls and fell in the water.↗ · She won the single sculls race at the regatta.↗ · Hold one scull in each hand and pull together.↗ · The fisherman sculled with one oar at the back of the boat.↗ · You need practice to scull in a straight line.↗

sculler — Everyday, meaning 1: A person who rows a boat using two oars, one in each hand, called sculls.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A small light rowing boat made for sculling, often used in races.↗ Example: The sculler pulled hard on both oars and the boat shot forward.↗ · Ratty was a fine sculler and never splashed.↗ · Mole wanted to be a sculler too, but he grabbed the oars too soon.↗ · My aunt is a sculler in a rowing club.↗ · The single sculler won the gold medal.↗ · Early in the morning the scullers were already out on the lake.↗ · Two scullers glided past under the bridge.↗

scullery — Everyday, meaning 1: A scullery is a small room at the back of a house or castle, where dishes and pots are washed.↗ Early Modern English, meaning 1: A small room behind the kitchen where dishes and pots are washed and rough work is done.↗ Example: Catskin crept back into the scullery.↗ · The scullery was full of dirty pots.↗ · She washed the dishes in the scullery every night.↗ · Then she flew from the castle and donned her catskin robe again, and slipped into the scullery again, unbeknown to the cook.↗ (More English Fairy Tales) · Next day he went to his mother, the lady of the castle, and told her that he wished to marry the scullery-maid, Catskin.↗ (More English Fairy Tales) · and with that she curtsied, and flew from the ball, off with her golden robe, on with her catskin, and into the scullery without the cook's knowing.↗ (More English Fairy Tales)

sculling — Everyday, meaning 1: Rowing a boat with two oars, one in each hand, or a single oar at the back of the boat.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (swimming) Moving your hands back and forth in the water to stay still or move gently.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (Australia, slang) Drinking a whole drink very fast in one go (adults, often beer).↗ Example: She won a medal in single sculling.↗ · In swimming we practised sculling to stay afloat.↗ · The sculling boat glided along the river.↗ · He was sculling with both hands to keep still.↗ · My aunt goes sculling on the Thames every Sunday.↗ · Sculling uses two oars, one in each hand.↗

scullion — Everyday, meaning 1: (old use) A servant in a kitchen who scrubs pots and floors and does the dirtiest jobs.↗ Example: The cooks and scullions ran after the bird.↗ · The scullion stopped just as he was about to wring the bird's neck.↗ · He began as an under-scullion and rose to be a head cook.↗

sculptor — Everyday, meaning 1: An artist who makes sculptures — figures or shapes carved from stone or wood, or made from clay, metal or other materials.↗ Example: Michelangelo was a sculptor and a painter.↗ · The sculptor carved a bear from a tree trunk.↗ · Barbara Hepworth was a British sculptor who made smooth shapes with holes.↗ · Our class visited a sculptor's studio.↗ · The sculptor shaped the clay with her hands.↗ · A sculptor made the statue in the town square.↗ · Once it had been a temple; a young sculptor now dwelt there.↗

sculpture — Everyday, meaning 1: A sculpture is a piece of art made by shaping stone, wood, clay, metal or other material into a form.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Sculpture is the art of making such shapes.↗ Example: We made a clay sculpture of a cat.↗ · The park has a sculpture of a famous poet.↗ · She loves sculpture more than painting.↗ · They built an ice sculpture for the winter fair.↗ · The sculpture is made from old bike parts.↗ · Our sand sculpture was washed away by the tide.↗ · In sculpture Amphion is always represented with a lyre; Zethus with a club.↗

scum — Everyday, meaning 1: A dirty layer that forms on top of a liquid, like on a pond or bath water.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An insulting word for people thought to be very bad.↗ Example: There was green scum on the pond.↗ · Skim the scum off the soup.↗ · Soap scum makes the bath look dirty.↗ · The scum floated on top of the water.↗ · We cleaned the scum from the fish tank.↗ · Do not drink water with scum on it.↗ · I take them when they come in my way, but I do not hunt the Bandar-log, or frogs--or green scum on a water-hole, for that matter.”↗

scumbag — Everyday, meaning 1: (rude, slang) A scumbag is a nasty, dishonest or mean person.↗ Example: (rude) Some scumbag stole my bike from outside the shop.↗ · (rude) «You scumbag!» shouted the man in the film.↗ · (rude) He called the cheat a scumbag.↗ · Calling people a scumbag will get you into trouble.↗ · (rude) Only a scumbag would steal from a charity box.↗

scummy — Everyday, meaning 1: Scummy means covered with scum, a dirty layer floating on liquid.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (slang, rude) Scummy means nasty, dirty or dishonest.↗ Example: The pond was green and scummy.↗ · Don't drink that scummy water.↗ · There's a scummy ring around the bath.↗ · (slang) Taking his lunch was a scummy thing to do.↗ · (slang) He's a scummy little liar.↗

scurry — Everyday, meaning 1: To run or move quickly with short, fast steps, like a mouse.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To hurry because you are in a rush or afraid.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (noun) A hurried movement or the sound of it.↗ Example: A mouse scurried across the kitchen floor.↗ · Crabs scurried sideways into the rocks.↗ · We scurried inside when it began to pour.↗ · I heard the scurry of little feet in the attic.↗ · The squirrel scurried up the tree.↗ · Children scurried to their seats when the teacher came in.↗ · The least shadow, sends them scurrying in fright to a hiding place.↗