Antonyms for scruff

Grammar : Noun

Spell : skruhf

Phonetic Transcription : skrʌf

cleanliness

Definition of scruff

Origin : "nape of the neck," 1790, altered (by influence of scruff "crust") from scuft (1787), probably related to North Frisian skuft "back of the neck of a horse" and Dutch schoft "withers of a horse," from a common Germanic source (cf. Old Norse skopt "hair of the head," Gothic skuft, Middle High German schopf, German Schopf). Another theory holds it to be a variant of scurf.

As in scum : noun superficial impurities, dirt
As in neck : noun narrow connector

Example sentences :

And with that he seized me again by the scruff of the neck and shook me.
Extract from : « Hidden Hand » by Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth

So we adopted a more pressing plan, and coaxed him out by the scruff of his neck.
Extract from : « Novel Notes » by Jerome K. Jerome

She came to and tried to bite me, but I had her by the scruff of the neck and she couldn't.
Extract from : « IT and Other Stories » by Gouverneur Morris

When dinner-time came we had to be dragged in by the scruff of our necks.
Extract from : « Dream Days » by Kenneth Grahame

Bucky would drag you back by the scruff of the neck in two weeks.
Extract from : « Crooked Trails and Straight » by William MacLeod Raine

Grasping the animal by the scruff of the neck, he tossed him into the standing-room.
Extract from : « Jim Spurling, Fisherman » by Albert Walter Tolman

When Scruff and his traces were effaced, Herr Paul took a ladle in his hand.
Extract from : « Villa Rubein and Other Stories » by John Galsworthy

Scruff' has a sore toe; it is because he has eaten too much meat.
Extract from : « Villa Rubein and Other Stories » by John Galsworthy

Mirestone held the goat by the scruff of his neck and fastened a halter about him.
Extract from : « The White Feather Hex » by Don Peterson

She seized the woolly dog by the scruff of the neck and deposited it in her lap.
Extract from : « Mrs. Vanderstein's jewels » by Mrs. Charles Bryce

Synonyms for scruff

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019