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Scuffle
Definitions
- 1 A rough, disorderly fight or struggle at close quarters.
"The Dog leaps upon the Serpent, and Tears it to Pieces; but in the Scuffle the Cradle happen'd to be Overturn'd: […]"
- 2 A type of hoe, manipulated by both pushing and pulling, with a sharp blade parallel with the worked surface; an instance of this type.
"Near-synonyms: collinear hoe, collineal hoe (loosely synonymous)"
- 3 an unceremonious and disorganized struggle wordnet
- 4 Poverty; struggle. slang
"But even on the scuffle / The cleaner's press was in my jeans"
- 5 disorderly fighting wordnet
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- 6 A child's pinafore or bib. archaic
- 7 a hoe that is used by pushing rather than pulling wordnet
- 1 To fight or struggle confusedly at close quarters. intransitive
"Certainly a gallant man had rather fight to great diſadvantages for number and place in the field in an orderly way, then ſcuffle with an undiſciplined rabble."
- 2 To work the soil surface for weeding, etc.
"Near-synonyms: (sometimes synonymous) scarify, cultivate, grub; weed"
- 3 fight or struggle in a confused way at close quarters wordnet
- 4 To walk with a shuffling gait. intransitive
"But shiftings and readjustments ensued, as they are sure to do with a walking-party. Cope presently found himself scuffling through the thin grass and the briery thickets alongside the young business-man."
- 5 walk by dragging one's feet wordnet
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- 6 To make a living with difficulty, getting by on a low income, to struggle financially. slang
"Once a good friend of mine, a fine hoofer who was having trouble getting bookings, ran up to that tree, gave it a big smack, and yelled “Lawd please make me a pimp, any kind of a pimp, long as I’m pimpin’. I’m tired of scufflin’ and my feet are too long outa work.”"
Etymology
Possibly of North Germanic/Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish skuff (“a push”) and skuffa (“to push”), from the Proto-Germanic base *skuf- (skuƀ), from Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ-, see also Lithuanian skùbti (“to hurry”), Polish skubać (“to pluck”), Albanian humb (“to lose”).
Possibly of North Germanic/Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish skuff (“a push”) and skuffa (“to push”), from the Proto-Germanic base *skuf- (skuƀ), from Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ-, see also Lithuanian skùbti (“to hurry”), Polish skubać (“to pluck”), Albanian humb (“to lose”).
The noun is a borrowing from Dutch schoffel; the English verb arose via subsequent verbification within English but is also parallel with Dutch schoffelen.
The noun is a borrowing from Dutch schoffel; the English verb arose via subsequent verbification within English but is also parallel with Dutch schoffelen.
See also for "scuffle"
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