[skrʌf], (Noun)

Definitions:
- the back of a person's or animal's neck
(e.g: he grabbed him by the scruff of his neck)


Phrases:

Origin:
late 18th century: alteration of dialect scuff, of obscure origin

[skrʌf], (Verb)

Definitions:
- grasp (an animal) by the scruff of its neck


Phrases:

Origin:
late 18th century: alteration of dialect scuff, of obscure origin

[skrʌf], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a person with a dirty or untidy appearance

- short, bristly hairs growing on a man's face when he has not shaved for a while; stubble
(e.g: several days' worth of scruff)


Phrases:

Origin:
early 16th century (in the sense ‘scurf’): variant of scurf. The word came to mean ‘worthless thing’, whence scruff(mid 19th century)