Old Scratch

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Old Scratch

Where it comes from

Probably an alteration of scrat, from Middle English scrat, skratt, scratte, ultimately from Old Norse skratti (“a type of demon”).

proper noun

Southern US The Devil. “Lisieux is a little town in Normandy,” she said. “I was there a few days with your father, one summer, long ago. It’s a country full of old stories, folklore, and traditions; and the people still believe in the Old Scratch pretty literally. […]”
Similar: Old Ned, Old Nick, Old Serpent, Aduwallah, Adversary, Al-Shaytaan, Antichrist, archfiend, Ash-Shaytan, Azazel, Beast, Beelzebub

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MLA

"Old Scratch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/old%20scratch. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

Old Scratch. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/old%20scratch

Chicago

"Old Scratch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/old%20scratch.

BibTeX

@misc{old_scratch_2026,
  title = {Old Scratch},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/old%20scratch},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}