scatter rug
1
3.7
- noun
- /ˈskætər rʌɡ/
- The chair caught on the edge of the scatter rug that overlay the carpet and crashed against the desk.
Examples
-
"Maybe it's a scatter rug."
Fiction book (1999) -
Or pretend that the scatter rugs in the long, cool hall are pirate ships and mount an invasion of the parlor.
Fiction book (1996) -
"I guess the first time he ever saw her, she was shaking a scatter rug outside her father's home in Taber, Alberta, and he liked everything that he saw.
Fiction book (1990) -
There was a scatter rug in the living room that added a splash of color to the decor.
-
She placed a scatter rug near the entrance to catch dirt from shoes.
-
The child played on the scatter rug, surrounded by toys on the floor.
Synonyms
237
1.0
A thick piece of cloth placed on the floor for warmth or decoration
6
3.2
A small light mat placed on part of a floor to decorate or protect it
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is compositionally built from 'scatter' (to distribute or place around) + 'rug' (a floor covering), so the phrase transparently denotes a rug that is placed or scattered about a room — typically a small, movable rug covering part of the floor. This compositional relation is predictable and follows normal English modifier+noun patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
The noun scatter rug comes from the idea of small rugs being scattered across a room, like little mats placed here and there. So, the term now means a small, movable rug used to cover part of a floor, often 'one of several'.