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ออกเสียง Itch = ‘ICH’
ออกเสียง scratch = ‘SKRACH’
Common Errors in English Usage Dictionary - dpwe
Itch & scratch
Strictly speaking, you scratch an itch.
If you’re trying to get rid of a tingly feeling on your back
scratch it, don’t itch it.
Definition - an uneasy irritating sensation
in the upper surface of the skin
usually held to result from mild stimulation of pain receptors
Itch is a word with many possible meanings,
few of which are likely to be viewed as pleasant or desirable.
The word may function as either a verb or a noun,
both of which have been in use in English
since before the 12th century.
Along the way the word has also been associated,
in an uncomplimentary fashion,
with more than one country.
In 1699 B. E., author of The Canting Crew
defined Welsh-fiddle as “the itch,”
and also provided an entry
for Itch-land with the definition of “Wales.”
Several decades later lexicographer Nathaniel Bailey
decided that Scotland was the proper answer
to the question of ‘where is Itch-land?,’
and that the Itch could be referred to
as either the Scotch or the Welsh fiddle.
We advise you to avoid all these terms,
when traveling in either country.
Did You Know?
The phrase up to scratch has its origins
in the world of sports.
In the 18th century,
scratch began to be used for a line or mark
that served as the starting point in a contest or competition.
In order to begin or continue a fight,
for example, a pugilist would
"come up to the scratch," positioning himself
at a line drawn across the prize ring.
Up to the scratch was soon
being used figuratively of anyone
who was ready and able to do something.
Over the years,
the usage of the phrase has evolved somewhat,
but something that is "up to scratch"
can still be said to be ready and able
in that it is capable of functioning or performing as expected.
Scratching the Surface of ‘From Scratch’
Out of nothing comes something.
What to Know
To create something from scratch
is to make it without any ingredients or materials
prepared ahead of time.
The scratch in from scratch
originally referred to the starting line of a race
"scratched" into the ground,
from which all runners would be starting
without a head start.
to make something from scratch
means to use only the most basic ingredients,
with nothing premade:
Building a structure from scratch
means using no prefabricated parts:
To build a business or livelihood from scratch
means to start with nothing provided in advance:
Starting at the 'Scratch' (The Starting Line)
Scratch is about beginnings,
but to do something from scratch
doesn’t mean to scratch something
with your fingernail and have it appear.
Scratch in this instance finds its origin in sports talk.
Originally, the scratch
was the starting line in a race,
likely from such a line
being scratched into the earth
when races were held on soft terrain.
The term was also used in boxing and cricket.
In boxing, it referred to a line drawn across the ring,
at which opponents would be brought
from opposite corners to start the match.
Figurative Use of 'Scratch'
To come (up) to the scratch was also used figuratively
to mean “to show up to a confrontation,”
or to present oneself for a decisive action.
(In the U.S., we might similarly use
the baseball expression step up to the plate.)
A runner starting from scratch was not given a head start;
applying the same idea to other sports,
a scratch golfer or scratch bowler
is one good enough to play
without having their score adjusted with a handicap.
The idea of the scratch as a figurative starting point
then gets carried over to contexts of cooking or building,
giving us from scratch as a phrase for a true starting point
for such projects.
Words We're Watching
Words We're Watching: 'Record Scratch'
You're probably wondering
how the sound of a needle
being dragged across a phonograph
came to be used as an interjection.
That is, the vinyl they are made of can be scratched
with a sharp or hard object,
causing audible pops when played.
It’s paradoxical that the terms record scratch
and record scratching refer to completely different sounds:
they could refer to the sound
of a needle zipping briefly off
or across the surface of the vinyl.
This sound (more of a zip or whoosh than a pop)
was usually the unintentional and audible evidence of a mistake.
A different sound could be made
by keeping the needle stationary in the groove of a record
and rotating the turntable back and forth slightly
to produce a repeatable short sound
—this is the sound that we typically think of
that integrated into hip-hop by DJs in the 1970s.
The literal sound came to be used
figuratively as a rhetorical interruption
Record scratch as a description of the sound
itself was initially used in music contexts:
"In terms of having stuff like the record scratches
and organ sounds,
adding them to the live performance
would mean dealing with tape loops and other musicians," [Amber] Valentine said.
—Rob Bailey, Arizona Daily Star, 16 November 2001
Subsequently, record scratch came to be used
in contexts that referred to sound effects rather than music:
The term then moved from the literal to the figurative:
these sound effects were so often used
to accompany the depiction of surprise
or a sudden change of subject on TV
and in movies that record scratch has come to mean
“something that abruptly calls attention to surprise or change”:
A dictionary definition of record scratch
would incorporate both the literal
and figurative elements of its use:
The sound and the rhetorical interruption
—the literal and the figurative use of the term
—are often explicitly connected:
This connection brings record scratch full circle,
with its use as an interjection
to stand for the rhetorical equivalent of the sound itself, symbolizing the interruption
that changes the subject suddenly or calls attention to a new idea:
Sometimes people complain about
the shortened attention span
that seems to have accompanied the digital age,
but it’s notable that
some recent and efficient shorthand expressions
are pure analog.