scratch

verb

1》 score or mark with a sharp or pointed object.

    ↘make a long, narrow superficial wound in the skin of.

    ↘rub (a part of one's body) with one's fingernails to relieve itching.

    ↘(of a bird or mammal) rake the ground with the beak or claws in search of food.

    ↘(often scratch around/along) make a living or find resources with difficulty.

2》 cancel or strike out (writing) with a pen or pencil.

    ↘withdraw from a competition.

    ↘cancel or abandon (an undertaking or project).

3》 play a record using the scratch technique.

noun

1》 a mark or wound made by scratching.

    ↘informal a slight or insignificant wound or injury.

    ↘an act or period of scratching.

2》 the starting point in a race for a competitor that is not given a handicap or an advantage.

    ↘Golf a handicap of zero, indicating that a player is good enough to achieve par on a course.

3》 a technique, used especially in rap music, of stopping a record by hand and moving it back and forwards to give a rhythmic scratching effect.

4》 informal money.

adjective

1》 assembled or made from whatever is available.

2》 (of a sports competitor or event) with no handicap given.

Phrases

from scratch from the very beginning, especially without making use of any previous work.

scratch one's head informal think hard in order to find a solution.

scratch the surface deal with or investigate a matter only in the most superficial way.

up to scratch up to the required standard; satisfactory.

Derivatives

scratcher noun

scratching noun

Origin

ME: prob. a blend of the synonymous dialect words scrat and cratch, both of uncertain origin.