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Scram

//skɹæm// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun

1
A gun, firearm. Multicultural-London-English, slang
"Bad be say she don’t usually do this In the trap with a stick, I do this Get ’round there with a scram I don’t give a damn"
2
A shutdown of a nuclear reactor (or, by extension, some other thing), often done rapidly due to an emergency. also, attributive
"During scram operation, a scram signal de-energizes the inlet and outlet scram valves. The outlet scram valve vents the volume above the drive piston to a scram dump tank. The inlet scram valve supplies scram pressure obtained from an accumulator to the under side of the vented piston."
3
A scratch, especially caused by claws or fingernails. Derbyshire, Wales
"scram [...] Noun. [...] 2. A scratch. [South Wales use]"
4
Alternative letter-case form of scram. alt-of, countable, uncountable
"She watched as the Marine technical team leader pressed the red SCRAM buttons for each reactor, setting off a chorus of alarms."
5
The device used to shut down a nuclear reactor; also, the button or switch used to initiate a shutdown.
"Each room housing a radiation source has a red-buttoned "scram" switch on the wall. One touch of the switch and all equipment stops abruptly."

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6
A mine previously worked on where most of the ore is believed to have been removed, but which is still being mined on a small scale. US, archaic
"[page 64] Many of these old openings still afford places where ore is mined. A man can start in almost anywhere and fine ore. There is a great deal of this "scramming" done at the Jackson. Quite a proportion of the annual product comes in this way. Not unfrequently one of these "scrams" leads to the finding of a large deposit of ore. [...] [page 67] South from the east part of the Incline pit they have a scram of good ore which furnished a small product."

Verb

1
To leave in a hurry; to go away. imperative, intransitive, often
"What are you kids doing on my lawn? Scram!"
2
To shut down (a nuclear reactor or, by extension, some other thing) for safety reasons, usually because of an emergency. transitive
"The NCR [Nuclear Regulatory Commission] further demands the plant conform to all the safety requirements put into effect during construction. This means constant re-design. There must also be several ways to scram (emergency shut down) the reactor. Some of these are automatic and some are manual."
3
To scratch (something) with claws or fingernails; to claw. Derbyshire, Wales, transitive
"scram [...] Verb. [...] 2. To scratch, with claws or fingernails. E.g. "It's my own fault the cat scrammed me, I was teasing it." [South Wales use]"
4
Of one's body or limbs: to become numb or stiff due to cold, lack of movement, etc. British, archaic, dialectal, intransitive
"The bean-setters can fully appreciate the nipping, biting keenness of the air, and avow frankly, in their own peculiar idiom, "that they be pretty nigh scrammed!""
5
Alternative letter-case form of scram. alt-of
"Raising group eight rods and brining a nuclear reactor fully to life for the first time in nearly ten years—everyone was so ready they were all ready to pee in their pants. Andrews did not know he could do it without SCRAMing the reactor—in other words, pushing it into an automatic shutdown that might be too little too late."

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6
leave immediately; used usually in the imperative form wordnet
7
Of a nuclear reactor or some other thing: to shut down, usually because of an emergency. intransitive
"This shut off current to the control rod mechanism, and the reactor scrammed (shut off) automatically."
8
To mine for ore on a small scale, especially from mines previously been worked on where most of the ore is believed to have been removed. US, archaic, transitive
"Just west of this pit is another one, which has been nearly worked out; but three men are scramming about five tons per day in it."
9
To be weakened by an accident, a disease, starvation, etc. British, archaic, dialectal, intransitive
""But they will be scrammed!^* the children will be scrammed, Mary, before morning," cried Jim, scratching his head with perplexity and distress at the very thought of two young creatures sleeping on the bare boards, in a cold garret with only a shawl to cover them. [Footnote *: Starved.]"

Etymology

Etymology 1

Probably either: * a clipping of scramble by apocope; or * from dialectal German schramm, the imperative singular form of schrammen (“to scratch, scrape”), from Late Middle High German schramm, schramme (“a graze, scratch”); further etymology unknown.

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

Uncertain; the verb is possibly derived from etymology 1. It has been suggested that the word is an acronym for phrases like “safety control rod actuator mechanism”, “safety cut rope axe man”, “safety control rod axe man”, and “safety control rods activation mechanism”, but these are most likely backronyms. The noun is probably derived from the verb.

Etymology 4

Etymology 5

The verb is a variant of dialectal English scramb (“to pull or rake together with the hands; to gather a handful of something from the ground; to scratch with the claws or nails; to pull down violently; to tear off; to maul about; a handful of something from the ground”), possibly related to Dutch schrammen (“to graze, scratch”) and German schrammen (“to scratch, scrape”); see etymology 1. The noun is derived from the verb.

Etymology 6

Etymology 7

Origin unknown.

Etymology 8

See scram; the use of uppercase letters may be because the word is thought to be an acronym of phrases like “safety control rod actuator mechanism”, “safety control rod axe man”, and “safety control rods activation mechanism”, but these are most likely backronyms.

Etymology 9

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