Scragging
/ˈskræɡ.ɪŋ/noun
The act of strangling, killing, or harshly seizing someone; also, in some contexts, rough treatment or a neck-thin state.
Did you know?The verb *scrag* has long been linked to the neck or a thin, bony person, and in older English it could mean to seize by the throat—one of those grim words where the body itself becomes the weapon.
Etymological Timeline
Late 18th Century
English
scrag
“To seize by the neck; to strangle or execute”
Late 18th Century
English
scrag
“A thin, bony, or rough piece; especially the neck or throat”
Unknown / Disputed
Old English or Scandinavian?
*skrǫgg-
“Likely an expressive base related to roughness or the neck, though the deeper origin is uncertain”
19th Century
English
scragging
“The act of scragging; strangling or rough handling”
Modern English
English
scragging
“Strangling, rough treatment, or the act of scragging”