scruff
意味一覧 (2件)
みすぼらしい人
解説 Definition
scruff は、服装や身なりがだらしなく、少し汚らしく見える人を指す口語的な名詞です。人を軽く見下す響きがあるため、冗談や批判の文脈で使われます。首筋を表す別義とは切り離して覚えます。
Scruff is an informal noun for a person who looks untidy, badly dressed, or slightly dirty. It is usually used in a casual, joking, or critical way rather than as a neutral description. The word often suggests that someone does not care much about their appearance. Do not confuse this meaning with the other meaning of scruff, which refers to the back of the neck.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
shantytown は shanty「粗末な小屋」と town「町」を合わせた語です。town と聞くと整った町を想像しがちですが、前半の shanty が意味の中心で、板・トタン・廃材などで作られた簡易な小屋がいくつも集まった場所を表します。a shantytown on the edge of the city のように、都市の周辺や空き地に自然発生した仮設的な住まいのまとまりを思い浮かべると覚えやすいです。
Think of a scruff as someone whose clothes and hair look rough and careless. The sound of scruff can suggest something scuffed, rubbed, or worn out, which matches the image of an untidy person. Picture a person in old, messy clothes, and the meaning is easier to remember.
例文
He looked like a complete scruff in his old coat and muddy shoes.
古いコートと泥だらけの靴で、彼はまるでみすぼらしい人に見えた。
She laughed and called her brother a scruff when he came downstairs with messy hair.
髪をぼさぼさにして階下に来た弟を見て、彼女は笑いながらみすぼらしい人みたいだと言った。
The article described him as a lovable scruff who never seemed to own a clean jacket.
その記事は、きれいな上着を持っていなさそうな愛すべきみすぼらしい人として彼を描いていた。
首筋
(意味 2)解説 Definition
首の後ろ側、特に襟の部分の皮膚。動物を持ち上げたり支配したりする際に掴まれることが多い部分。
The scruff is the back part of the neck, especially the loose skin there. It is often used when talking about animals, or about holding someone by that part of the neck. In informal English, it can also suggest a rough or untidy look, but the basic meaning is the neck area.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
この scruff は「みすぼらしい人」という口語的な基本義とは別に、首の後ろ側、特に動物のつまめる皮膚を指す名詞です。覚える軸は固定表現 by the scruff of the neck です。子猫や子犬を首の後ろの皮膚でつかむ場面を思い浮かべると定着します。nape は人の「うなじ」に近い中立語ですが、scruff は毛や皮膚をつかむ、少し乱暴で動物的な感じが強い語です。
Learn it with `scruffy`, which gives a rough, hairy image. `Scruff` is the loose skin or hair at the back of the neck, especially in animals. The fixed phrase `by the scruff of the neck` is a strong memory hook.
例文
The kitten was picked up by the scruff of its neck.
その子猫は首筋でつかまれて持ち上げられた。
He grabbed the troublemaker by the scruff and threw him out.
彼は問題児を首筋でつかんで外に投げ出した。
The dog was held firmly by the scruff during the examination.
その犬は検査の間、首筋で確実に抑えられていた。
scruff の語源・成り立ち Etymology
scruff は英語方言の scruff / scuff にさかのぼり、語源は不詳です。「こすれて荒れた」「毛が乱れた」感覚から、scruffy や人のだらしない外見を表す用法につながりました。
Scruff goes back to the dialect words scruff and scuff in English, but its deeper origin is uncertain. It seems to have been linked with the idea of something rough, rubbed, or with hair sticking up. From that sense, it developed into scruffy and into uses that describe a person's messy appearance.
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