1841. Lever, Charles O'Malley, lxxxv. Bad scran to me if I wouldn't marry out of a face this blessed morning just as soon as I'd look at ye.
1851. Mayhew, London Lab., i. 466. Most of the lodging-house keepers buy the scran of the cadgers.
c. 1876. Music Hall Song, 'Uncle Attend to Tommy.' And if he gets no scran, I soon shall see him wollop me As hard as ever he can.
1883. D. Telegraph, 8 Feb., 3, 2. She used to buy the contents of their scran bags of 'em. The broken wittles was no good to them, and they'd let it go cheap.
1893. Emerson, Lippo, xviii. Thin bad scran to her. Is the 'onerable Mrs. Putney in town? The bark again consulted his book.
4. (common).—The reckoning at a public-house.
Scrap, subs. (common).—(1) A
fight; a rough-and-tumble
(q.v.): also scrap-up: hence
scrapping (or scrapping-match)
= prize-fighting or boxing;
scrapper = a pugilist.
Also (2) = a blow: see quot.
1610.
1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-All, 40 (H. Club's Repr., 1874). Scrappes, fatte and glorious bittes: sound blowes and bangings. The muggill will tip you fat scraps and glorious bits, the Beadle will well bumbast you.
1885. G. Dolby, Dickens as I knew him, 102. An effect . . . resembling a scrap in a game of football.
1886-96. Marshall, Sad Heart ['Pomes,' 76]. Why, he can't scrap for nuts.
1887. D. News, 3 Feb., 7, 1. He put his hat down in the hall, and said, "You want to scrap." (Laughter.)—Mr. D'Eyncourt: Scrap! What does that mean?—Defendant: It is some boxing term, sir. He came squaring up to me in a fighting attitude, and then I admit I did the best I could.
1893. Emerson, Lippo, xvii. I could put up my dooks, so I backed to scrap a cove bigger nor me for a finnif a side. The scrap came off down the river at a place near Erith.
1896. Crane, Maggie, i. He murmured with interest, 'a scrap, Gee!' He strode over to the cursing circle. Ibid., vi. Dat mug scrapped like a dago. He tau't he was a scrapper. But he foun' out diff'ent.
3. (old).—'A villainous scheme or plot': to whiddle the whole scrap = 'to discover the plot' (Grose).
Scrape, subs. (colloquial).—1.
Trouble; a difficulty (Grose).
1741. Warburton, Divine Legation, ii. The too eager pursuit of his old enemy has led him into many of these scrapes.
1748. Smollett, Rod. Random, ix. He got himself into a scrape by pawning some of his lordship's clothes. Ibid. (1749), Gil Blas [Routledge], 188. By this device I got out of the scrape.
1754. Connoisseur, No. 6. I had, indeed, like to have got into some unlucky scrapes.
1767. Sterne, Tristram Shandy, i. 12. This unwary pleasantry of thine will . . . bring thee into scrapes and difficulties.
1778. Sheridan, Rivals, v. 1. Have they drawn poor . . . Sir Lucian into the scrape.
1790. Bruce, Source of Nile, ii. 456. The Naybe Musa . . . found into what a terrible scrape he had got.
1797. M. G. Lewis, Castle Spectre, v. i. He'd be in a terrible scrape if you began knocking down his walls.
1818. Scott, Rob Roy, viii. Jobson, however, was determined that Morris should not back out of the scrape or easily. Ibid. (1819), Lammermoor, viii. Unless you be in the Jacobite scrape already, it is quite needless for me to drag you in.
2. (common).—An obeisance: also as verb = to salute by scraping the feet; scrape-shoe = a sycophant: see Leg.
1632. Massinger[?], City Madam, iv. 1. Live, scrape-shoe, and be thankful.
c. 1840. Mansfield, School Life in Winchester. When a Præfect wished to go out of School he scraped with his foot till he got a nod from the Master.
