Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1893-1931, 1995
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SCRAT, n.2 Also skratt. A puny, stunted or shrunken person (Lth. 1825 Jam.; ne. Sc., Ags. 1969); anything very small or insignificant (Uls. 1953 Traynor). Adj. scratty, skratty, puny, thin, meagre (Id.). Obs. in Eng. exc. dial.Bnff. 1893 Dunbar's Works (S.T.S.) III. 39:
Sic a bit scrat o' a geet.Abd. 1931 D. Campbell Uncle Andie 12:
But fat o' the wee poodle, Andie? The peer scrat 'll be rossen tae a sassage.Abd. 1995 Sheena Blackhall Lament for the Raj 15:
The plappin pulse wis still
Twis an auld kill
Puir scrats o flesh an skin
Far wyvin mists
Crept sleekit oot an in
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"Scrat n.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/scrat_n2>
