scruff /skrʌf/ noun
[Date: 1700-1800; Origin: scuff 'back of the neck' (18-19 centuries), perhaps from Old Norse skoft 'hair of the head']

1. by the scruff of the neck if you hold a person or animal by the scruff of their neck, you hold the skin, fur, or clothes at the back of their neck

2. [countable] British English informal someone who looks untidy or dirty

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲