scruff

• IPA^(key): /skɹʌf/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌf

See scurf.

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.

• Apple scruff
• scruffy

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Scruff

Wikipedia

1790, from earlier (1787) scuft and dialect scuff, 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).^[1]

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.

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 by the scruff ”.

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

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.

• scuff