| apparatchik | (noun) a communist who was a member of the administrative system of a communist party | - |
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| (noun) a humorous but derogatory term for an official of a large organization (especially a political organization) | - |
| backscratcher | (noun) a long-handled scratcher for scratching your back | - |
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| (noun) someone who is willing to trade favors or services for mutual advantage | - |
| ratch | (noun) mechanical device consisting of a toothed wheel or rack engaged with a pawl that permits it to move in only one direction | Synonyms: rachet, ratchet |
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| ratchet | (noun) mechanical device consisting of a toothed wheel or rack engaged with a pawl that permits it to move in only one direction | Synonyms: rachet, ratch |
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| (verb) move by degrees in one direction only | Synonyms: rachet up, ratchet down |
| scratch | (noun) an indication of damage | Synonyms: mark, scar, scrape |
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| (noun) (golf) a handicap of zero strokes | - |
| (noun) poor handwriting | Synonyms: cacography, scrawl, scribble |
| (noun) a harsh noise made by scraping | Synonyms: scrape, scraping, scratching |
| (noun) dry mash for poultry | Synonyms: chicken feed |
| (noun) a line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game | Synonyms: scratch line, start, starting line |
| (noun) a competitor who has withdrawn from competition | - |
| (noun) informal terms for money | Synonyms: boodle, bread, cabbage, clams, dinero, dough, gelt, kale, lettuce, lolly, loot, lucre, moolah, pelf, shekels, simoleons, sugar, wampum |
| (noun) a depression scratched or carved into a surface | Synonyms: dent, incision, prick, slit |
| (noun) an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off | Synonyms: abrasion, excoriation, scrape |
| (verb) cut the surface of; wear away the surface of | Synonyms: scrape, scratch up |
| (verb) cause friction | Synonyms: chafe, fray, fret, rub |
| (verb) carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface | Synonyms: engrave, grave, inscribe |
| (verb) gather (money or other resources) together over time | Synonyms: come up, scrape, scrape up |
| (verb) remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line | Synonyms: excise, expunge, strike |
| (verb) scrape or rub as if to relieve itching | Synonyms: itch, rub |
| (verb) postpone indefinitely or annul something that was scheduled | Synonyms: call off, cancel, scrub |
| scratcher | (noun) a device used for scratching | - |
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| (noun) a person who scratches to relieve an itch | - |
| (noun) a workman who uses a tool for scratching | - |
| scratchiness | (noun) the roughness of a substance that causes abrasions | Synonyms: abrasiveness, harshness |
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| scratching | (noun) a harsh noise made by scraping | Synonyms: scrape, scraping, scratch |
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| scratchpad | (noun) (computer science) a high-speed internal memory used for temporary storage of preliminary information | - |
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| scratchy | (adjective) unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound | Synonyms: grating, gravelly, rasping, raspy, rough |
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| (adjective) easily irritated or annoyed | Synonyms: cranky, fractious, irritable, nettlesome, peckish, peevish, pettish, petulant, techy, testy, tetchy |
| (adjective) lacking consistency | Synonyms: spotty, uneven |
| (adjective) causing abrasion | Synonyms: abrasive |