Part 143

2. (Gas Manuf.) A gas washer. See under Gas.

Scrub"board` (?), n. A baseboard; a mopboard.

Scrub"by (?), a. [Compar. Scrubbier (?); superl. Scrubbiest.] Of the nature of scrub; small and mean; stunted in growth; as, a scrubby cur. "Dense, scrubby woods." Duke of Argyll.

Scrub"stone` (?), n. A species of calciferous sandstone. [Prov. Eng.]

Scruff (?), n. [See Scurf.] Scurf. [Obs.]

Scruff, n. [Cf. Scuff.] The nape of the neck; the loose outside skin, as of the back of the neck.

Scrum"mage (?; 43), n. See Scrimmage.

Scrump"tious (?), a. Nice; particular; fastidious; excellent; fine. [Slang]

Scrunch (?), v. t. & v. i. [Cf. Scranch, Crunch.] To scranch; to crunch. Dickens.

Scru"ple (?), n. [L. scrupulus a small sharp or pointed stone, the twenty-fourth part of an ounce, a scruple, uneasiness, doubt, dim. of scrupus a rough or sharp stone, anxiety, uneasiness; perh. akin to Gr. &?; the chippings of stone, &?; a razor, Skr. kshura: cf. F. scrupule.] 1. A weight of twenty grains; the third part of a dram.

2. Hence, a very small quantity; a particle.

I will not bate thee a scruple.

Shak.

3. Hesitation as to action from the difficulty of determining what is right or expedient; unwillingness, doubt, or hesitation proceeding from motives of conscience.

He was made miserable by the conflict between his tastes and his scruples.

Macaulay.

To make scruple, to hesitate from conscientious motives; to scruple. Locke.

Scru"ple, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Scrupled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Scrupling (?).] To be reluctant or to hesitate, as regards an action, on account of considerations of conscience or expedience.

We are often over-precise, scrupling to say or do those things which lawfully we may.

Fuller.

Men scruple at the lawfulness of a set form of divine worship.

South.

Scru"ple, v. t. 1. To regard with suspicion; to hesitate at; to question.

Others long before them . . . scrupled more the books of heretics than of gentiles.

Milton.

2. To excite scruples in; to cause to scruple. [R.]

Letters which did still scruple many of them.

E. Symmons.