scruff

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the back of the neck, especially the loose skin or fur there on an animal

   He lifted the frightened dog gently by the scruff of its neck.

2. 2
   noun

   an untidy or scruffily dressed person

   The doorman mistook the travel-weary professor for a scruff.

3. 3
   noun

   short, rough facial hair or stubble

   Several days of dark scruff covered his chin.

Simplified etymology

Scruff as a term for a dirty or untidy person is an alteration of Old English scurf, referring to dandruff or a similar skin condition. The scruff of the neck has a separate history: scruff replaced the earlier scuff, recorded in the late 18th century, whose origin is obscure.

The neck sense appeared in late eighteenth-century English, probably from dialectal scuff or related Germanic words for the back of the neck, withers, or head hair. The senses for an untidy person and rough facial hair are associated with scruffy and the idea of an unkempt appearance.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary