chicken scratch

or chick·en-scratch

[ chik-uhn skrach ]

noun

1. handwriting of words or symbols that is too messy or roughly drawn to be easily read:

   They need precise specs for the remodeling, but these drawings and dimensions are just chicken scratch.

   Milo left us a note, but can anyone figure out his chicken scratch?

2. a scratchlike mark, often an element of illegible writing:

   I had no idea these chicken-scratches were actually the artist’s signature.

   That chicken scratch was accidentally made by a utility knife when she was scoring a piece of leather.

3. supplemental, relatively inexpensive food for chickens, typically cracked corn and grains scattered on the ground for the chickens to scratch through as they eat it.
4. Informal. something of minimal or deficient value, such as an amount of money that is far less than what would be considered reasonable:

   It’s an exposé of those laboring under atrocious conditions for chicken scratch.

verb (used with object)

1. to handwrite (something) in a manner that is too messy to be easily read:

   I start out being neat with my note-taking, but then I lapse into chicken-scratching everything the teacher says.

verb (used without object)

1. to produce handwriting that is too messy to be easily read:

   She chicken-scratches like that on purpose so nobody can read it.

   Sometimes you wanna do calligraphy, sometimes you wanna chicken scratch.

Word History and Origins

Origin of chicken scratch¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

“My little chicken scratches attempting to keep score when I was 6 or 7, and then I got better at it,” Cranston said.

From Seattle Times

Typing, voice dictation technology or my usual chicken scratch would’ve done the job far faster.

From Los Angeles Times

At a certain point it was nothing but chicken scratches because they were all gone.

From Los Angeles Times

Ms. Griegson watched the chicken scratch around for a few minutes.

From Literature

“All you got is the present, baby, and we already deal with enough chicken scratch,” Colby says.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• calligraphy
• longhand
• manuscript
• scrawl
• script
• writing