Scruffs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A disheveled or untidy appearance, often in clothing or grooming
2. A term used to describe worn or shabby attire; a focus on informal, unrefined looks
3. A colloquial reference to an unkempt style, typically relating to casual wear or personal grooming

Etymology: The plural "scruffs" is simply the noun "scruff" with an "-s" added, so its story is really the story of the base word. "Scruff" first appears in English in 1790, though an earlier form, "scuft", is recorded in 1787, and it was probably shaped by a dialect word "scuff" and by "scruff" in the sense of a crust or scurf on the skin. Its deeper roots lie in the back of the neck. Related Germanic words mean the back of a horse's neck or its withers, and older forms refer to the hair of the head. That physical origin explains a modern usage. To take someone "by the scruff" is to grip the loose skin at the back of the neck, the way a mother cat carries her kitten. The sense of a rumpled, neglected appearance grew out of the image of hair and clothing that look as if they have been left unkempt, rather than being tidied or smoothed.