scrimer 
form, < OF.] One practised m the use of the 
sword; a skilful fencer. 
The scrimers of their nation, 
He swore, had neither motion, guard, nor eye, 
If you opposed them. Shak., Hamlet, iv. 7. 101. 
scrimmage (skrim'aj), . [Also scrummage, 
skrimmage; early mod. E. "scrimmish, scrym- 
myshe, a var. of skirmish, q. v.] A skirmish ; a 
confused row or contest; a tussle. 
If everybody 's caranting about to once, each after his 
own men, nobody '11 find nothing in such a scrimmaye as 
that. Kingsley, Westward Ho, xxx. 
Specifically, in foot-ball : (a) A confused, close struggle 
round the ball. 
And then follows rush upon rush, and scrummage upon 
scrummage, the ball now driven through into the school- 
house quarters, and now into the school goal. 
T. Hughes, Tom Brown's School-Days, i. 5. 
(6) The act on the part of the two contesting teams of 
forming in opposing lines, and putting the ball in play. 
scrimp (skrimp), v. [Also skrimp, assibilated 
shrimp; < ME. 'scrimpen, < AS. *scrimpan (pret. 
"scramp, pp. "scrumpen) = OSw. "skrimpa (in 
pp. skrumpen = Dan. skrumpen, adj., shrunken, 
shriveled) = MHG. schrimpfen, shrink; equiv. 
to AS. scrimman (pret. "scram, pp. *scrummen), 
shrive], shrink, and akin to scrincan, shrink : see 
shrink. Scrimp exists also in the assibilated 
form shrimp, and the secondary forms shram, 
scrwmp, shrump, these forms being related as 
crimp, cramp, crump, which may, indeed, as- 
suming a loss of initial s, be of the same ori- 
gin. With crimp' 2 , crimple. crumple may be com- 
pared rimple, rumple.] I. trans. 1. To pinch 
or scant; limit closely; be sparing in the food, 
clothes, money, etc., of; deal sparingly with; 
straiten. 
5424 scriptural 
One of the most fruitful sources of amusement to a scrip-company (skrip'kum"p;i-ni), M. A com- 
whale-fishennan, and one which often so engrosses his having shares which pass by delivery, 
time and attention :is tn cause linn to neglect his iluties, * ../ ... ^ ,.,. ~j_I f 
is known as *crii/iniriw Scriinshairiny, which, t>y the without the formalities ot register or transfer, 
way, is the more acceptable form of the term, is the art, scrip-holder (skrip'hoFder), II. One who holds 
if art it be, of manufacturing useful and ornamental arti- shares in a company or stock, the title to which 
clesatsea. Inherits of U. S., V. ii. 231. ; s a wr jtten certificate or scrip, 
scrimshaw (skrim'sha), w. and a. [<MrfMftaw, scrippaget (skrip'aj), n. [< scrip* + -age.] 
v.] I. n. A shell or a piece of ivory scrim- That which is contained in a scrip: formed 
shawed or fancifully carved. [Sailors' Ian- jocosely, as baggage is from bag. [Bare.] See 
guage.] the quotation. 
II. a. Made by scrimshawing. Though not with bag and baggage, yet with scrip and 
Let us examine some of the scrimshaw work. We find scrippajjc. Shak., As you Like it, iii. 2. 171. 
handsome writing desks, toilet boxes, and work boxes _._i_j. /(.Vi-i^n n IV MF xrrint writ < OF 
made of foreign woods, inlaid with hundreds of other Script (skiipt), )!. L<. MJi. scnpt, sent, <, F. 
pieces of precious woods of various shapes and shades. escript, escnt, F. cent = Sp. Pg. escnto = It. 
~3. scritto, a writing, a written paper, < L. scriptum, 
Fisheries of U. S., V. ii. 232 
scrimshon, scrimschon, scrimshorn, etc., 
and n. See scrimshaw. 
serin (skriu), n. [Origin obscure.] In mining, 
a small vein or string of ore ; a crack filled with 
ore branching from a larger vein. [North. Eng.] 
scrinet (skriu), n. [Early mod. E. also scryne ; 
< ME. "scrine, < OF. escrin, F. eerin = It. 
scrignio, < L. scrinium, a box, chest, shrine: 
see shrine, which is derived from the same 
a writing, a written paper, a book, treatise, 
law, a line or mark, neut. of seriptus, pp. of 
scribere, write: see scribe. Cf. manuscript, 
postscript, prescript, rescript, transcript, etc.] 
If. A writing; a written paper. 
I trowe it were to longe yow to tarie, 
If I yow tolde of every sent [var. script} and bond 
By which that she was felted in his lond. 
Chaucer, Merchant's Tale, 1. 453. 
Do you see this sonnet, 
' ,. rt --!!_ il_l *** J"" WW ntlo DVH1H.Y, 
source, through AS. scrm.\ A chest, bookcase, ibis lovingscnpt? do you know from whence itcametoo? 
or other place where writings or curiosities are Fletcher, Wife for a Month, i. 2. 
or other place where writings or curiosities are 
deposited ; a shrine. [Bare.] 
Lay forth out of thine everlasting scryne 
The antique rolles which there lye hidden still. 
Spenser, F. Q., L i., Prol. 
I trust you winna skrimp yoursell for what is needfu' 
for your health, since it signifies not muckle whilk o' us 
has the siller, if the other wants it. 
Scott, Heart of Mid-Lothian, xxxix. 
2. To be sparing in ; narrow, straiten, stiut, or 
contract, especially through a niggard or spar- 
ing use or allowance of something; make too 
small, short, or scanty; limit: as, to scrimp a 
coat, or the cloth for making it. 
Do not scrimp your phrase, 
But stretch it wider. 
Tennyson, Queen Mary, iii. 3. 
II. intrans. To be parsimonious or miserly : 
as, to save and scrimp. 
scrimp (skrimp), o. and ?*. [< scrimp, v.'] I. a. 
Scanty; narrow; deficient; contracted. 
II. n. A niggard ; a pinching miser* [U. S.] 
scrimped (skrimpt), p. a. Narrow ; contracted ; 
pinched. 
'A could na bear to see thee wi' thy cloak scrimpit. 
Mrs. Oatkell, Sylvia's Lovers, vi. 
The women are all ... ill-favored, scrimped; that 
means ill-nurtured simply. 
C. D. Warner, Their Pilgrimage, p. 71. 
SCrimping-bar (skrim'ping-bar), n. In calico- 
printing, a grooved bar which smooths the 
fabric right and left to facilitate its proper 
feeding to the printing-machine. 
The scrimpinff-bar is made of iron or brass with a curved 
surface furrowed by grooves, cut right and left from the 
centre. W. Crookes, Dyeing and Calico-printing, p. 558. 
scrimply (skrimp'li), adv. In a scrimp man- 
ner; barely; hardly; scarcely. 
Down flow'd her robe, a tartan sheen, 
Till half a leg was scrimply seen ; 
And such a leg ! my bonnie Jean 
AJone could peer it. Burns, The Vision. 
Scrimpness (skrimp'nes), . Scantiness ; pinch- 
ed appearance or state; small ness of allow- 
ance. 
scrimp-rail (skrimp'ral), n. Same as scrimp- 
infi-bar. 
The cloth then passes over the corrugated scrimp rails. 
Spans' Encyc. Manuf., I. 493. 
SCrimption (skrimp'shon), n. [Irreg. < scrimp 
+ -tion.] A small portion; a pittance: as, add 
just a scrimption of salt. Halliwell. [Local.] 
scrimpy(skrim'pi),n. [< scrimp + -l.] Scrimp. 
[Colloq.] 
Four acres is scrimpy measure for a royal garden, even 
for a king of the heroic ages whose daughter did the 
family washing. N. and Q., 7th ser., X. 8. 
scrimshaw (skrim'sha), v. t. and i. [A nautical 
word of unstable orthography; also scrimshon, 
scrimschon, skrimshon, scrimshorn, skrimschont, 
skrimshander; origin unknown. If the form 
scrimshaw is original, the word must be due to 
the surname Scrimshaw.] To engrave various 
fanciful designs on (shells, whales' teeth, wal- 
rus-tusks, etc . ) ; in general, to execute any piece 
of ingenious mechanical work. [Sailors' lan- 
guage.] 
scringe (skrinj), v. i. ; pret. and pp. scringed, 
ppr. scringing. [Also skringe; a weakened 
form, with terminal assibilation, of *scrink, 
shrink (< AS. scrincan), as cringe is of "crink 
(< AS. crincan).] To cringe. [Prov. Eng. and 
U.S.] 
'Twunt pay to scringe to England ; will it pay 
To fear that meaner bully, old "They'll say"? .- 
Lowell, Biglow Papers, 2d ser., ii. BCnpt., Script. 
scrinium (skrin'i-um), n. ; pi. scrinia (-a). [L. 
scrinium (see def.) : see scrine, shrine.] In Rom. 
antiq., a case or box, generally cylindrical in 
shape, for holding rolls of manuscript. 
2. Ln law, an original or principal document. 
3. Writing; handwriting; written form of 
letter ; written characters ; style of writing. 
A good deal of the manuscript . . . was in an ancient 
English script, although so uncouth and shapeless were the 
characters that it was not easy to resolve them into letters. 
Hawthorne, Septimius Pelton, p. 122. 
4. In printing, types that imitate written let- 
ters or writing. See example under ronde. 
Lombardic script See Lombardic. Mirror script. 
See mirror-script. Scripts of martt. Same as letters 
of marque (which see, under marque). 
An abbreviation of scripture or 
scrip 1 (skrip), n. [< ME. scrippe, schrippe, < 
Icel. skreppa, a scrip, bag, = OSw. skreppa, 
Sw. dial, skrappa, a bag, a scrip, = Norw. 
skreppa, a knapsack, = MD. scharpe, schaerpe, 
scerpe, a scrip, pilgrim's wallet, = LG. schrap, 
a scrip, = OHG. scharpe, a pocket, perhaps 
akin to OHG. scirbi, MHG. schirbe, scherbe, G. 
scherbe = D. scherjf, a shred, shiver, scrap, 
shard: see scrap* and scarp 2 , scar/ 2 .] 1. A 
wallet; a bag; a satchel, as for travelers; 
scribe.] A handwriting, especially when pre- 
senting any peculiarity by which the writer or 
the epoch of the writing may be fixed : as, a 
scription of the fourteenth century. 
Britain taught Ireland a peculiar style of scription and 
ornament for the writing of her manuscripts. 
Sock, Church of our Fathers, i. 275. 
'us), a. Written: as, 
Bentham. 
n. [< L. scriptor, a writer, 
< scribere, pp. scriptun, write: see scribe.] A 
writer; scribe. 
especially, a pilgrim's pouch, sometimes rep- gcriptoriuln ( 8 krip-t6'ri-um), .: pi. scripto- 
resented as decorated with scallop-shells, the g scriptoria (-umz, -a). [= fo. escriptoire 
emblems of . kmm. 
emblems of a pilgrim. 
Horn tok burdon and scrippe, 
And wrong his lippe. 
King Horn (E. E. T. S.X p. SO. 
He [the friar] went his wey, no lenger wolde he reste, 
With scrippe and tipped staf, ytukked hye. 
Chaucer, Summoner's Tale, 1. 29. 
David . . . chose him five smooth stones out of the 
brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, 
even in a scrip. 1 Sam. xvii. 40. 
2. In her., a bearing representing a pouch or 
almoner, and supposed to be a pilgrim's scrip. 
It is often combined with a pilgrim's staff, or 
bourdon. See staff. 
scrip 2 (skrip), n. [A corruption of script, appar. 
by vague association with script : see script.] 
1. A writing; a certificate, deed, or schedule ; 
a written slip or list. 
Call them generally, man by man, according to the scrip. 
Shot., M. N. D., i. 2. 2. 
No, no, my soueraign ; 
lie take thine own word, without scrip or scrowle. 
Heywood, If you Know not me (Works, I. 318). 
= It. scrittojo, < ML. scriptorium, a writing-room , 
LL. a metallic style for writing on wax, prop, 
neut. of scriptorius, pertaining to writing or a 
writer: see scriptory.] A writing-room; spe- 
cifically, the room set apart in a monastery or 
an abbey for the writing or copying of manu- 
scripts. 
The annalist is the annalist of his monastery or his 
cathedral ; his monastery or his cathedral has had a his- 
tory, has records, charters, a library, a scriptorium for 
multiplying copies of record. 
Stubbs, Medieval and Modern Hist., p. 79. 
scriptory (skrip'to-ri), a. [= OF. scriptoire, < 
L. scriptorius, pertaining to writing or to a 
writer, < scriptor, a writer, < scribere, pp. scrip- 
tus, write : see scribe, script.] 1. Expressed in 
writing; not verbal; written. 
Of wills duo sunt genera, nuucupatory and scriptory. 
Swift, Tale of a Tub, ii. 
2. Used for writing. [Bare.] 
With such differences of reeds, vallatory, sagittary, scrip- 
tory, and others, they might be furnished in Judea. 
Sir T. Browne, Tracts, i. 
2. A scrap of paper or parchment. 
I believe there was not a note, or least scrip of paper of scriptural (skrip'tu-ral), a. [< scripture + -al.] 
any consequence in my possession, but they had a view ^ . QJ or p er tainiiig to writing ; written, 
of it Bp. Spratt, Harl. Misc. (Danes.) 
It is ridiculous to say that bills o, t excha ,nge shall pay Jfi^"^ ' wVfcn^hTrooT SSuCof 
^^^$^t i s^ ^r rument ' doesnot ^ 
3. In com., an interim or provisional docu- g _ PeTtajiaijlg to contained in, or in accordance 
ment or certificate, to be exchanged, when cer- with the Scriptul . es . as a scriptural phrase; 
tain payments have been made or conditions scriptural doctrine. [Less specific than Bibli- 
complied with, for a more formal certificate, as ? J and more commO nly without a capital.] 
of shares or bonds, or entitling the holder to the 
payment of interest, a dividend, or the like; 
also, such documents or certificates collectively. 
Lucky rhymes to him were scrip and share. 
Tennyson, The Brook. 
There was a new penny duty for scrip certificates. 
S. Dowcll, Taxes in England, III. 33fl. 
4. Fractional paper money: so called in the 
United States during and after the civil war. 
Railway Scrip, scrip issued by a railway. 
The convocation itself was very busy in the matter of 
the translation of the Bible and Scriptural formula; of 
prayer and belief. 
Stubbs, Medieval and Modern Hist., p. 288. 
= Syn. 2. Biblical, Scriptural. Biblical relates to the Bible 
as a book to be known or studied : as, a Biblical scholar ; 
Biblical exegesis or criticism. Scriptural relates to the 
Bible as a book containing doctrine : as, the idea is not 
scriptural; it also means simply contained in the text of 
the Bible : as. a scriptural phrase. We speak of a Bible 
character, a Bible hero. 
