subs. (beggars’).—(1) Food: spec. broken victuals; (2) = refuse; also (3, military) = a meal. Hence SCRAN-BAG = a haversack, or TOMMY-BAG (q.v.); ON THE SCRAN = begging. BAD SCRAN TO YE! (Irish) = a mild malediction.
1724. J. HARPER, ‘Frisky Moll’s Song’ in THURMOND’S Harlequin Sheppard [FARMER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 41].
| But ere for the SCRAN he had tipt the cole, | |
| The Harman he came in. |
1821. P. EGAN, Life in London, 207. If you open your peepers you’ll go without SCRAN.
1841. LEVER, Charles O’Malley, lxxxv. BAD SCRAN TO ME if I wouldn’t marry out of a face this blessed morning just as soon as I’d look at ye.
1851. H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, i. 466. Most of the lodging-house keepers buy the SCRAN of the cadgers.
c. 1876. Music Hall Song, ‘Uncle Attend to Tommy.’ And if he gets no SCRAN, I soon shall see him wollop me As hard as ever he can.
1883. Daily Telegraph, 8 Feb., 3, 2. She used to buy the contents of their SCRAN BAGS of ’em. The broken wittles was no good to them, and they’d let it go cheap.
1893. P. H. EMERSON, Signor Lippo, xviii. Thin BAD SCRAN TO HER. Is the ’onerable Mrs. Putney in town? The bark again consulted his book.
4. (common).—The reckoning at a public-house.
