scramble

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   make unintelligible

   scramble the message so that nobody can understand it

2. 2
   verb

   to move hurriedly

   The friend scrambled after them

3. 3
   verb

   To move hurriedly to a location, especially by using all limbs against a surface.

   As half-time approached Fabregas had another chance to give Barcelona the lead. He collected an incisive Messi pass and this time beat Cech, who required Cole to scramble back and clear the ball off the line.

4. 4
   verb

   To thoroughly combine and cook as a loose mass.

   I scrambled some eggs with spinach and cheese.

5. 5
   verb

   To quickly deploy (vehicles, usually aircraft) to a destination in response to an alert, usually to intercept an attacking enemy.

   But on April 13 it 'scrambled' a rake of Mk 2s and dual-braked 'Black 5' 45212 to start its lucrative summer money-spinner two days later.

6. 6
   verb

   To be quickly deployed in this manner.

   As the planes scrambled, four of his veterans went up: Tom Lanphier, Rex Barber, Joe Moore and Jim McLanahan. They had waited with other Lightnings at 30,000 feet and dived on a formation of eleven Zeroes far below, working in pairs.

7. 7
   verb

   To ascend rocky terrain as a leisure activity.

   Seeing some of Britain's most beautiful waterfalls, rivers and pools from the most absurd angles as you scramble your way either up or down a mountain river course.

8. 8
   verb

   To gather or collect by scrambling.

   They say we are a scatter'd nation: / I cannot tell, but we have scrambled up / More wealth by far than those that brag of faith.

Etymology

Origin uncertain. Perhaps from earlier dialectal scramble, scrammel (“to collect or rake together with the hands”), from scramb (“to pull or scrape together with the hands”) + -le (frequentative suffix) (compare Dutch schrammen (“to graze, brush, scratch”)); or alternatively from a nasalised form of scrabble (“to scrape or scratch quickly”).