backscratcher

B3A1C3K5S1C3R1A1T1C3H4E1R1

noun

A long slender rod with a rake-like device on one end, sometimes in the form of a human hand, designed to let a person scratch their own back.

Scrabble 28
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Meanings

nounbackscratcher (plural backscratchers)

plural backscratchers · alternative back scratcher

  1. A long slender rod with a rake-like device on one end, sometimes in the form of a human hand, designed to let a person scratch their own back.
  2. figurativelyuncommonA participant in corruption, such as a briber or pay-to-play participant.
    1 more example

    Pierre-Gilles had made a name for himself, but also wanted to give credit to his collaborators, whom he was always careful to cite in lectures, to the point that, for a joke, Daniel Saint-James and his colleague Gobalakichena Sarma created a "backscratchers club" named the 'Société de la brosse à reluire mutuelle' (SABRM) — mutual backscratching society — appointing Pierre-Gilles as its honorary chairman. The members of this club, which included the other musketeers, numerous physicists from Saclay, etc., were obliged to mention the other members in all their lectures, even if they hadn't contributed to the results!

    2011, Laurence Plévert, “Team Leader”, in Pierre-Gilles de Gennes: A Life in Science, World Scientific, →ISBN, pages 119-120

Origin

From back + scratcher; also, by surface analysis, backscratch + -er.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan grataesquena
  • grataesquenarod for scratching one's own back
Chinese Mandarin 癢癢撓 /痒痒挠, 笑刷兒 /笑刷儿
  • 癢癢撓 /痒痒挠 (yǎngyangnáo)rod for scratching one's own back
  • 笑刷兒 /笑刷儿 (xiàoshuār)rod for scratching one's own back
  • 老頭樂 /老头乐 (lǎotóulè)rod for scratching one's own back
  • 搔背爬 (sāobèipá)rod for scratching one's own back
Dutch ruggenkrabber
  • ruggenkrabberrod for scratching one's own back
Finnish selänrapsutin
  • selänrapsutinrod for scratching one's own back
French gratte-dos
  • gratte-dosrod for scratching one's own back
German Rückenkratzer
  • Rückenkratzerrod for scratching one's own back
Hungarian hátvakaró
  • hátvakarórod for scratching one's own back
Icelandic bakklóra
  • bakklórarod for scratching one's own back
Italian grattaschiena, manina
  • grattaschienarod for scratching one's own back
  • maninarod for scratching one's own back
Korean 등긁이, 등긁개
  • 등긁이 (deunggeulgi)rod for scratching one's own back
  • 등긁개 (deunggeulgae)rod for scratching one's own back
Latin scalptōrium
  • scalptōriumrod for scratching one's own back
Portuguese coça-costas
  • coça-costasrod for scratching one's own back
Russian па́лка для чеса́ния спины́
  • па́лка для чеса́ния спины́ (pálka dlja česánija spiný)rod for scratching one's own back
Spanish rascaespalda, rascador de espaldas
  • rascaespaldarod for scratching one's own back
  • rascador de espaldasrod for scratching one's own back
Tagalog pangamot ng likod
  • pangamot ng likodrod for scratching one's own back
Thai ไม้เกาหลัง
  • ไม้เกาหลัง (máai-gao-lǎng)rod for scratching one's own back
Welsh peth crafu cefn
  • peth crafu cefnrod for scratching one's own back
Cite this entry
APA

backscratcher. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backscratcher

MLA

“backscratcher.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backscratcher. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backscratcher,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backscratcher.

Source: backscratcher on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.