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Glite Dictionary
to scratch off

to scratch off

1 4.4
To write something quickly without much care
  • phrasal verb
  • /skrætʃ ɔf/
translation icon : anotar rápidamente
  • One was we took them in the glove box and tried to scratch off the aluminum oxide layer and then put silver paste on and then make the context to that.

Examples

  • I am hastily scratching off these unpremeditated and no doubt dopey words.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I need to quickly scratch off a few names from my list before the meeting starts.

  • She decided to scratch off the shopping list she had written down earlier.

  • Before we head out, let me scratch off the chores I completed today.

Synonyms

to scribble
vsto scratch off
55 3.5

To write or draw quickly and carelessly so it is hard to read

is about hurried writing that may be careless but not necessarily illegible
to jot down
vsto scratch off
  • Informal
27 2.9

To write a short note quickly to remember something

is more hurried and often less intentional than brief note taking
to scrawl
vsto scratch off
23 5.5

To write or draw quickly and carelessly so it is hard to read

focuses on quickness and possible carelessness rather than extreme illegibility
to knock off
vsto scratch off
  • Informal
4 6.1

Make something quickly with little effort

highlights rapid, possibly careless writing rather than quick production only
to dash off
vsto scratch off
3 5.1

To write something quickly without much care

stresses hurried writing specifically rather than general low attention
to write off
vsto scratch off
  • Informal
3 4.1

To put words down quickly without much thought

is hurried writing that often lacks fluency and may show less care
to scrabble
vsto scratch off
1 7.0

To write or draw quickly so it is hard to read

emphasizes speed and lack of care but not always scribbled marks
to dash down
vsto scratch off
1 4.4

To write something quickly without much care

is similar but highlights doing it in a hurried manner rather than just noting
to fling off
vsto scratch off
  • Informal
7.3

To write something quickly without much effort

is about hurried writing that may lack care rather than just low effort
to toss off
vsto scratch off
  • Informal
8.1

To make something quickly with little effort

focuses on hurriedness and possible carelessness rather than merely ease

How Neat

to write
∞ 1.0
to scratch off
1 4.4
to dash off
3 5.1
to scribble
55 3.5
to scrawl
23 5.5

Surface Forms

scratch off infinitive
scratched off past
scratched off past participle
scratching off present participle
scratches off third person singular

Morphology

scratch + off

There is a partial compositional link: 'scratch' can mean to scribble or write roughly, and the particle 'off' can signal a completed action, so a learner might infer some kind of quick, careless writing. However, the precise sense 'to write something quickly' is not a fully regular verb+particle meaning and the phrase is easily confused with 'scratch off' meaning to remove or cross out, so the exact sense is not fully predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Scratch off comes from the image of someone making quick, rough marks on paper: you scratch words down with fast, messy strokes and then you're off—done and moving on. That's why it means 'to write something quickly or hurriedly, often without much care'.