scruff

«scruff» in Mova's school dictionary: the loose skin at the back of an animal's neck; mother… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (scruff, a scruff)

meaning for a pupil

1) The scruff (of the neck) is the loose skin at the back of an animal's neck; mother cats carry kittens by it. tree →

2) A scruff is an untidy, dirty-looking person (informal, UK). tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life and science, mother cats and dogs carry their babies by the scruff; «by the scruff of the neck» means grabbing someone roughly by the back of the collar. In stories, a scruff is a messy child. Phrases: «by the scruff of the neck», «a little scruff».

examples

• The mother cat carried her kitten by the scruff. tree →
• He grabbed the puppy by the scruff to stop it running into the road. tree →
• The teacher took the bully by the scruff of the neck. tree →
• Go and wash — you look like a scruff! tree →
• Don't pick up an adult cat by the scruff; it can hurt. tree →
• The lioness lifted her cub gently by the scruff. tree →
• 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. tree →

note

Usually in the phrase «by the scruff of the neck». Adjective: «scruffy» = untidy, messy. Calling someone «a scruff» is informal and a bit rude.

In the corpora

• The Rat grips Toad by the scruff of the neck and hauls him up into his hall, dripping with mud and weed.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «scruff» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.