Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
scrag end

scrag end

9.9
A thin, lean piece from the neck of lamb or veal for cooking
  • noun
  • /ˈskræɡ ɛnd/
  • UK
translation icon : cuello de cordero
  • The chef used the scrag end of the lamb for her signature dish.

Examples

  • The butcher recommended the scrag end for a delicious stew.

  • When cooking, she preferred the scrag end because it adds a unique flavor.

  • The whole animal was made of scrag end!

    Vanity Fair (2004)

Synonyms

neck
vsscrag end
23 5.3

A cut of meat from where an animal's head joins its body for slow cooking

refers specifically to the thin end rather than the broader cut from that area
scrag
vsscrag end
  • UK
1 9.9

A thin, bony cut of meat from an animal's neck used for slow cooking

is identical in meaning but is the more explicit phrasing
cut of veal
vsscrag end
4.4

A piece of meat from a young calf for eating

means the narrow lean neck end, not any piece from a calf

Surface Forms

scrag end singular
scrag ends plural

Morphology

scrag + end

Given knowledge of the constituents, the meaning is directly compositional: 'scrag' (a thin cut from an animal's neck) combined with 'end' (outer extremity) yields the end/lean portion of that neck cut. This noun+noun compounding follows regular English composition patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the intended culinary sense.

Etymology

Scrag end comes from old butchers' talk: scrag meant the thin neck of an animal and end was the last part. It named the lean piece from the animal's neck, so the phrase now means the cheap 'neck' cut of meat often cooked slowly in stews.