Meanings
- archaicslangNot much good; something of little value or importance.
A private might say, "McClellan thinks he's something, but he's no great scratch."
2001, John D. Wright, The Language of the Civil War, page 2062 more examples
Among the spinners there was one, / Whose name was Samuel Patch; / He moped about, and did his stint / Folks thought him no great scratch.
1857, Samuel Griswold Goodrich, Peter Parley's Thousand and One Stories of Fact and Fancy, page 350No great scratch whether there's anythin' to kick at or not, but they know better'n to kick me, though they ain't no love for Henry, and he gives them heels plenty of room, […]
1921, Jessie Graham Flower, Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders in the Great North Woods, page 24
Cite this entry
no great scratch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no%20great%20scratch
“no great scratch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no%20great%20scratch. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “no great scratch,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/no%20great%20scratch.
Source: no great scratch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.