chicken scratch
Cramped or illegible handwriting.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I cannot read his chicken scratch.”
“The doctor wrote the prescription in such messy chicken scratch that the pharmacist could not read it.”
“After years of typing, his handwriting had deteriorated into mere chicken scratch, making his personal journals nearly impossible for anyone else to decipher.”
- 01
chicken feed
A very small or insignificant quantity, especially of money.
- 02
chicken out
To shy away from a daring task; to decline, refuse, or avoid something due to fear or uncertainty.
- 03
choke the chicken
To masturbate by stimulating one's penis.
- 04
get up with the chickens
to wake up early
- 05
play chicken
As a risky test of courage, to drive two vehicles directly toward one another in order to see which driver will swerve away first.
- 06
run around like a chicken with its head cut off
To act in a haphazard or aimless way; to act frantically or without control.
- 07
scratch an itch
To satisfy a need or desire.
- 08
scratch beneath the surface
To look or see beyond what is obvious.
Last updated August 10, 2026