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Glite Dictionary
to walk away without a scratch

to walk away without a scratch

2 4.2
Leave a dangerous situation without getting hurt
  • idiom
translation icon : salir ileso
  • The motorcyclist crashed into a fence but walked away without a scratch.

Examples

  • Walked away without a scratch.

    Swimfan (2002)

  • Get him together with a chick, finish the job, collect the cash, and walk away without a scratch.

    Lovemakers (2011)

  • Walked away without a scratch.

    Swimfan (2002)

  • Walked away without a scratch.

    Swimfan (2002)

  • She had all this energy, and I walked away without a scratch.

    Snow Cake (2006)

  • After the car crash, he miraculously walked away without a scratch.

  • Despite the terrifying fall, she walked away without a scratch.

Antonyms

injury
∞ 1.4

Harm to the body caused by an accident or attack

Surface Forms

walk away without a scratch infinitive
walked away without a scratch past
walked away without a scratch past participle
walking away without a scratch present participle
walks away without a scratch third person singular

Morphology

walk + away + without + a + scratch

The meaning is directly compositional: 'walk' + 'away' conveys leaving the scene and 'without a scratch' literally means with no injury, so the overall sense of leaving an accident unharmed is derivable from the parts. This literal, cross-linguistically common construction follows standard English patterns and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Walk away without a scratch gives a simple picture: someone can walk away from a crash and not have a single scratch. That picture explains why it means 'to leave an accident or dangerous situation without suffering any injury or harm'.