See Also: scratch 1, verb(dictionary)
Scratch(dictionary)
scratch(1)(dictionary)
scratch(2)(dictionary)
scratch(medicine)
Fever, cat scratch(health)
Cat scratch disease(health)
scratch test(medicine)
Cat scratch fever(health)
Cat-scratch fever(health)

scratch 1, verb (oh)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 ?rub your skin?
2 ?cut somebody's skin?
3 ?make a mark?
4 ?animals?
5 ?remove something?
6 ?remove writing?
7 ?make a noise?
8 scratch the surface
9 scratch your head
10 ?stop something happening?
11 ?remove from race?
12 you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours
Phrasal verbs
scratch around
scratch something ¡û¡ú out
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Date: 1300-1400; Origin: Probably from scrat 'to scratch' (13-19 centuries) + cratch 'to scratch' (13-16 centuries)]
?RUB YOUR SKIN?
[I and T] to rub your skin with your nails because it feels uncomfortable
-see also itch itch
::John yawned and scratched his leg.
::Try not to scratch.
scratch at
::He was scratching at the bites on his arm.
?CUT SOMEBODY'S SKIN?
[I and T] to cut someone's skin slightly with your nails or with something sharp
::She ran at him and scratched his face.
::Don't scratch yourself on the thorns.
?MAKE A MARK?
[T] to make a small cut or mark on something by pulling something sharp across it
::I'm afraid I've scratched your car.
::Some of the prisoners had scratched their names on the walls.
?ANIMALS?
[I always + adverb/preposition] if an animal scratches, it rubs its feet against something, often making a noise
::A few chickens scratched around in the yard.
scratch at
::a dog scratching at the door to be let in
?REMOVE SOMETHING?
[T always + adverb/preposition] to remove something from a surface by rubbing it with something sharp
scratch sth off/away etc
::I scratched away a little of the paint with my fingernail.
?REMOVE WRITING?
[T always + adverb/preposition] to remove a word from a piece of writing by drawing a line through it
scratch sth from/off sth
::I have scratched his name from the list.
?MAKE A NOISE?
[I always + adverb/preposition] to make a rough sound by moving something sharp across a surface
::His pen scratched away on the paper.
scratch the surface
to deal with only a very small part of a subject or problem
scratch the surface of
::I think we have only scratched the surface of this problem.
scratch your head
informal to think carefully about a difficult question or problem
::This crisis has politicians scratching their heads and wondering what to do.
?STOP SOMETHING HAPPENING?
[T] informal if you scratch an idea or a plan, you decide that you will not do it
?REMOVE FROM RACE?
[I and T] informal if someone scratches from a race, or if you scratch them from the race, they do not take part in it
you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours
spoken used to say that you will help someone if they agree to help you
-see also scrape/scratch a living at living 2 (1)
scratch around phr v
to try to find or get something which is difficult to find or get
scratch around for
::homeless people scratching around for a place to shelter
scratch out [scratch sth ¡û¡ú out] phr v
to remove a word from a piece of writing by drawing a line through it
::Emma's name had been scratched out.