noun
scrag
SKRAG/skræɡ/
A scrawny or unattractive person or animal.
The scrawny dog might unkindly be called a scrag.
Etymology
The word originally described a lean person or animal, so this sense preserves its earliest recorded use. A Scandinavian origin is possible, with proposed comparisons likewise describing lean people.
More examples
- That poor scrag of a dog needs a good meal.
- They mock the underfed horses as scrags.
- She bristles when someone calls her a scrag.
Forms
scrag · scrags
scraggy adjective — Unattractively thin, with little flesh.
Similar words
- scarecrow
- Describes a very thin person, often with untidy clothing.
- bag of bones
- Emphasizes extreme thinness rather than a generally unattractive appearance.