scratch

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.

1) No great scratch. A vulgar, though common phrase, implying not worth much--no great shakes.

There are a good many Joneses in Georgia, and I know some myself that ain't no great scratches.--Maj. Jones's Courtship. p. 136.

2) To come to the scratch. To come to the encounter, begin a fight.

When the landlords and tenants in New York fairly come to the scratch [about the first of May], they make hot work of it.--Maj. Downing, May-day in New York, p. 30.

Related Words

Scratch
·vt To write or draw hastily or awkwardly. II. Scratch ·noun A kind of wig covering only a portion ...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
scratch
Old Scratch; the Devil: probably from the long and sharp claws with which he is frequently delineate...

Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
Scratch coat
·- The first coat in plastering; — called also scratchwork. ·see Pricking-up. ...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Scratch player
·add. ·- ·Alt. of Scratch runner. ...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Scratch runner
·add. ·- One that starts from the scratch; hence, one of first-rate ability. ...

Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
scratch land
Scotland. ...

Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
scratch platter
or TAYLOR'S RAGOUT Bread sopt in the oil and vinegar in which cucumbers have been sliced. ...

Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
scratch-race
A boat-race where the crews are drawn by lot. ...

The Sailor's Word-Book