to scratch together
1
6.5
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
reunir
- After several weeks of saving, they finally managed to scratch together the funds for their vacation.
Examples
-
It took some effort, but I was able to scratch together a few supplies for the project.
-
I gotta put some scratch together, man.
-
We need to scratch together enough money to repair the roof before the next storm.
Synonyms
988
2.8
To make something by joining parts, like a model, plan or team
22
3.5
Make something quickly without much care or planning
21
5.3
To put things together quickly and roughly using what is available
16
5.2
Make something quickly and roughly from things you have
12
6.1
Gather small amounts of money or supplies with difficulty
3
6.0
Make something quickly without caring about details
1
4.9
Make something quickly that will not last long
Gather a small amount of money or supplies by trying hard
To get a small amount of something quickly with little money or time
Gather money, papers, or people quickly, often with effort
To make something quickly and roughly using what is available
To join parts quickly in a careless, temporary way
To make something quickly and without care using what you have
Make something quickly and carelessly using what you have
How Easy
Surface Forms
Morphology
scratch + together
There is a loose, metaphorical link between the constituents — 'scratch' (sense of scraping/scraping together small amounts) and 'together' (collectively) — so a learner might guess it involves gathering things. However, the specific nuance of managing to collect with difficulty or improvised means is not fully predictable from the words alone and relies on idiomatic extension, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The verb scratch together may come from the image of birds or people making small scratch actions to gather tiny bits of food or coins and bring them together. So it means 'to manage to collect something with difficulty', often by using many small or spare items.