A drummer, sick of all the drummer jokes, decides to change his instrument. After some thought, he decides on the accordion.
So he goes to the music store and says to the owner, "I"d like to look at the accordions, please."
The owner gestures to a shelf in the corner and says, "All our accordions are over there."
After browsing, the drummer says, "I think I"d like the big red one in the corner."
The store owner looks at him and says, "You"re a drummer, aren"t you?"
The drummer, crestfallen, says, "How did you know?"
The store owner says, "That "big red accordion" is the radiator."
v. (-mm-) (esp. In imper.) Colloq. Go away. [perhaps from *scramble]
SCRAP
heap n. - pile of scrap.
- state of being discarded as useless.
- merchant n. Dealer in scrap.
- —n. - small detached piece; fragment.
- rubbish or waste material.
- discarded metal for reprocessing (often attrib.: scrap metal).
- (with neg.) Smallest piece or amount.
- (in pl.) A odds and ends. B uneaten food. —v. (-pp-) discard as useless. [old norse: related to *scrape]
- colloq. —n. Fight or rough quarrel. —v. (-pp-) have a scrap. [perhaps from *scrape]
SCREE
n. (in sing. Or pl.) 1 small loose stones.
- mountain slope covered with these. [old norse, = landslip]
SCREW
top n. (also (with hyphen) attrib.) Screwed-on cap or lid.
- —n. - thin cylinder or cone with a spiral ridge or thread running round the outside (male screw) or the inside (female screw).
- (in full wood-screw) metal male screw with a slotted head and a sharp point.
- (in full screw-bolt) blunt metal male screw on which a nut is threaded to bolt things together.
- straight screw used to exert pressure.
- (in sing. Or pl.) Instrument of torture acting in this way.
- (in full screw-propeller) propeller with twisted blades acting like a screw on the water or air.
- one turn of a screw.
- (foll. By of) small twisted-up paper (of tobacco etc.).
- (in billiards etc.) An oblique curling motion of the ball. 10 slang prison warder. 11 coarse slang a act of sexual intercourse. B partner in this. —v. - fasten or tighten with a screw or screws.
- turn (a screw).
- twist or turn round like a screw.
- (of a ball etc.) Swerve.
- (foll. By out of) extort (consent, money, etc.) From.
- (also absol.) Coarse slang have sexual intercourse with.
- swindle. have a screw loose colloq. Be slightly crazy. Put the screws on colloq. Pressurize, intimidate. Screw up 1 contract or contort (one's face etc.).
- contract and crush (a piece of paper etc.) Into a tight mass.
- summon up (one's courage etc.).
- slang a bungle. B spoil (an event, opportunity, etc.). C upset, disturb mentally. [french escroue]
SCRIM
n. Open-weave fabric for lining or upholstery etc. [origin unknown]
SCRIP
n. - provisional certificate of money subscribed, entitling the holder to dividends.
- (collect.) Such certificates.
- extra share or shares instead of a dividend. [abbreviation of subscription receipt]
SCRUB
—v. (-bb-) 1 clean by rubbing, esp. With a hard brush and water.
- (often foll. By up) (of a surgeon etc.) Clean and disinfect the hands and arms before operating.
- colloq. Scrap or cancel.
- use water to remove impurities from (gases etc.). —n. Scrubbing or being scrubbed. [low german or dutch]
- n. - a brushwood or stunted forest growth. B land covered with this.
- (attrib.) Small or dwarf variety (scrub pine). scrubby adj. [from *shrub]
SCRUM
n. - scrummage.
- colloq. = *scrimmage. [abbreviation]
SCUBA
n. (pl. -s) aqualung. [acronym of self-contained underwater breathing apparatus]
SCUFF
—v. - graze or brush against.
- mark or wear out (shoes) in this way.
- shuffle or drag the feet. —n. Mark of scuffing. [imitative]
