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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

scarecrow en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈskɛɚˌkɹoʊ/ (General-American)
  • /ˈskɛəkɹəʊ/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

The noun is derived from scare (“to frighten, startle, terrify”) + crow (“bird of the genus Corvus”). The word displaced other terms such as bogle (now dialectal, dated), sewel or shewel, and shoy-hoy (perhaps imitative of the cry of crows). The verb is derived from the noun.

Meanings

  1. An effigy, typically made of straw and dressed in old clothes, fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there.
    • Priapus was frequently represented sculpturally, as a kind of scarecrow among the fields and even as a protection over graveyards. 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 198:
    • VVots thou vvho's returnd, / The unthrift Bonvile, ragged as a ſcarre-crovv, / The VVarres have gnavv'd his garments to the skinne: […] 1637, Thomas Heywood, The Royall King, and the Loyall Subject. […], London: […] Nich[olas] and John Okes, for James Becket, […], →OCLC, Act III, signature E4, verso:
    • The things which he had to put on were so old and ragged that they would scarce hold together; and they were so dirty that no ragamuffin of the street would have picked them out of the gutter; no scarecrow in the fields ever had such clothes. 1887, Walter Besant, “Of Jack’s Escape”, in The World Went Very Well Then […], volume II, London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, page 143:
    • [W]e ſet him [the Devil] up like a Scare-Crovv to fright Children and old VVomen, to fill up old Stories, make Songs and Ballads, and in a VVord, carry on the lovv priz'd Buffoonry of the common People; […] 1726, [Daniel Defoe], “Of the Manner of Satan’s Acting and Carrying on His Affairs in This World, and Particularly of His Ordinary Workings in the Dark, by Possession and Agitation”, in The Political History of the Devil, as well Ancient as Modern: […], London: […] T. Warner, […], →OCLC, part II (Of the Modern History of the Devil), page 222:
  2. (broadly, derogatory) A person or animal regarded as resembling a scarecrow (sense 1) in some way; especially, a tall, thin, awkward person; or a person wearing ragged and tattered clothes.
    • No eye hath ſeene ſuch skarcrovves. Ile not march vvith them through Couentry vvith them, thats flat: […] c. 1597 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The History of Henrie the Fourth; […], quarto edition, London: […] P[eter] S[hort] for Andrew Wise, […], published 1598, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
    • The ſeely man ſeeing him ryde ſo ranck, / And ayme at him, fell flatt to ground for feare, / And crying Mercy loud, his pitious handes gan reare. // Thereat the Scarcrovv vvexed vvondrous provvd, / Through fortune of his firſt aduenture fayre, / And vvith big thundring voice reuyld him lovvd; […] 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, , stanzas 6–7, page 220:
    • Many of the palki gāris used as hack cabs in Calcutta and other large towns, owned by speculators who know nothing of their business, including liquor-sellers, table-servants, and even priestesses of Venus retired from business, are drawn by scarecrows that recall in a reduced and shadowy form the outlines of Bewick's grim woodcut,—"Waiting for death." But the mercy of death is denied to them. 1891, John Lockwood Kipling, Beast and Man in India, page 214:
    • So, a true Souldier, / He is his Countreys ſtrength, his Soueraignes ſafety, / And to ſecure his peace, he makes himſelfe / The heyre of danger, nay the ſubiect of it, / And runnes thoſe vertuous hazards, that this Scarre-crovv / Cannot endure to heare of. 1625 (first performance), Ben[jamin] Jonson, The Staple of Newes. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot […], published 1631, →OCLC, Act IV, scene iv, page 61:
    • 'Why, my friend,' he said, stopping to contemplate the scarecrow, 'where hast thou gotten these rags and this wound?' 'I have escaped, sir, from a French prison, and have received a hurt on the forehead.' 1887, Walter Besant, “How Jack Came Home Again”, in The World Went Very Well Then […], volume I, London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, page 246:
    • In opposition to this society, there sprung up another composed of scarecrows and skeletons, who, being very meagre and envious, did all they could to thwart the designs of their bulky brethren, whom they represented as men of dangerous principles; […] 1711 March 20 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], “FRIDAY, March 10, 1710–1711”, in The Spectator, number 9; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, page 124:
    • Obedient to this summons there ranged themselves in front of the schoolmaster's desk, half-a-dozen scarecrows, out at knees and elbows, one of whom placed a torn and filthy book beneath his learned eye. 1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, “Of the Internal Economy of Dotheboys Hall”, in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 69:
    • A Conſultation vvas novv entered into, hovv to proceed in order to diſcover the Mother. A Scrutiny vvas firſt made into the Characters of the female Servants of the Houſe, vvho vvere all acquitted by Mrs. VVilkins, and vvith apparent Merit; for ſhe had collected them herſelf, and perhaps it vvould be difficult to find ſuch another Set of Scarecrovvs. 1749, Henry Fielding, “The Reader's Neck Brought into Danger by a Description, His Escape, and the Great Condescension of Miss Bridget Allworthy”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume I, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book I, pages 21–22:
  3. (dated) Synonym of crow scarer (“a farmhand employed to scare birds from the fields”).
  4. (figuratively) Anything that appears terrifying but presents no danger; a paper tiger.
    • A ſcarecrow, ſet to frighten fools away; / Marriage has joys; and you ſhall have aſſay. a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “Daphnis. From the Twenty-seventh Idyllium of Theocritus.”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume II, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, […], published 1760, →OCLC, page 422:
    • VVith ſcoffes and ſcornes, and contumelious taunts, In open Market-place produc't they me, To be a publique ſpectacle to all: Here, ſayd they, is the Terror of the French, The Scar-Crovv that affrights our Children ſo. 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene vi], page 100, column 1:
    • The greateſt burden in the vvorld is ſuperſtition; not onely of Ceremonies in the Church, but of imaginary and ſcarcrovv ſins at home. 1644, J[ohn] M[ilton], “To the Parlament of England, with the Assembly”, in The Doctrine or Discipline of Divorce: […], 2nd edition, London: [s.n.], →OCLC:
    • The Canada West Foundation dismisses these concerns as "political scarecrows"; fearsome at first glance but irrelevant on closer examination. Unfortunately the problems of an elected Senate cannot be dismissed so easily. 1983, Saskatchewan Law Review, volume 48, Saskatoon, Sask.: College of Law, University of Saskatchewan, →OCLC, page 114:
  5. (figuratively, historical, qualifier:World War II) Military equipment or tactics used to scare and deter rather than cause actual damage.
  6. (UK, dialectal, obsolete) The black tern (Chlidonias niger).
  7. (UK, dialectal, obsolete) The hooded crow (Corvus cornix).

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
skarcrow alternative, obsolete lexicographic
scare-crow alternative, obsolete lexicographic
scarecrows Number=Plur lexicographic

Coordinates

straw man

Deriveds

scarecrowlike · scarecrowish · scarecrowy

Hypernyms

artifact · object of fear · effigy

Hyponyms

scare-bullfinch · moggy · scaregoose · straw man

Relateds

clapper

Synonyms

frayboggard · scarecrow · potato-bogle · gallybagger · crow scarer · beanpole · mammet · scare-the-birds · crowkeeper · bird-scarer · gallicrow · malkin · crow scarer · scare-beggar

Translations (186)

mk пла́шило (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · lo ຫຸ່ນໄລ່ກາ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sl ptičje strašilo (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sh strȁšilo (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · wa noret (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · lt kaliausė (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · kn ಬೆರ್ಚಪ್ಪ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · km ចំឡោង (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · acw فَزَّاعَة (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · cy bwbach brain (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · gd bodach-starraig (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ja 僧都 (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ml നോക്കുകുത്തി (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ky карачкы (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · fi variksenpelätin (tall, thin, awkward person) · mrc chiyer thʼer (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ta சோளக்கொல்லைப்பொம்மை (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · it spauracchio (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · hi बिजूका (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · tr korkuluk (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ky каракчы (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · km ទីងមោង (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · cmn 稻草人 (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · nn fugleskremsle (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sco craw-bogle (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · be пу́дзіла (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · fr épouvantail (tall, thin, awkward person) · cy bwbach (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ga fear bréige (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · io terorigilo (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · af strooipop (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ms orang-orang (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · gd bodach-ròcais (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sv fågelskrämma (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · lv biedēklis (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · la terricula (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · hy խրտվիլակ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sh plȁšilo (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · kmr reşkê bûstanan (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ja スケアクロウ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · kn ಬೆಚ್ಚು (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · my စာချောက်ရုပ် (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · nl vogelverschrikker (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ca espantaocells (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · es espantapájaros (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ka საფრთხობელა (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ckv pasnawa (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · tr oyuk (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · vi bù nhìn (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · io ucel-terorigilo (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · fi variksenpelätin (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · nb fugleskremsel (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · pdt Goadengrul (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · nl vogelschrik (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · br spontailh (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · it spilungone (tall, thin, awkward person) · fi variksenpelätti (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ar فَزَّاعَة (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · it spilungona (tall, thin, awkward person) · pl strach (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · tr bostan korkuluğu (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · la formīdo avium (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ga fear falsa (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · tl alay-ay (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sh стра̏шило (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sco bogle (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ru страши́ла (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · fr épouvantail (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ca espantall (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · tl balyan (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · kn ಬೆದರುಗೊಂಬೆ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · fa-ira مَتَرْسَک (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · su bebegig (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · km តាដុង (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · de Vogelscheuche (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · uk опу́дало (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · yue 稻草人 (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · hu madárijesztő (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ko 허수아비 (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · oc espaurugal (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · br spontailh-brini (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · bn কাকতাড়ুয়া (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sk strašiak (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · te వెరబొమ్మ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · af voëlverskrikker (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · et hernehirmutis (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ru чу́чело (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · cs strašák (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · fi variksenpelätin (person wearing ragged and tattered clothes) · ru страши́ло (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sl strašilo (tall, thin, awkward person) · ja 案山子 (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sl strašilo (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · gd bodach-fhaoileag (Scalpay) (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · tk garakçy (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · is fuglahræða (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · mk стра́шило (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ru пу́галище (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · unm nuthakakàn (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · th หุ่นไล่กา (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · id orang-orangan (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sq dordolec (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · az müqəvva (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · te దిష్టిబొమ్మ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · cmn 骨瘦如柴的人 (tall, thin, awkward person) · ro momâie (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · fi linnunpelätti (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sdh داوِڵ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · kmr mamik (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ro sperietoare (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · cy bwgan brain (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · eu txorimalo (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · tl espantaho (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · br bouga (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · pl strach na wróble (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · es espantajo (tall, thin, awkward person) · ta சோளக்காட்டுபொம்மை (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sq rone (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · gl espantallo (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · pa ਡਰੋਣਾ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · el σκιάχτρο (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · cv катемпи (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · mrw parayong (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · csb strôszk (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · nn fugleskremsel (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · arz خيال مآتة (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sq vovë (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · vi bẹo chim (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · la terriculum avium (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ba ҡарасҡы (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · mn мануухай (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ood vaṣai gakidagĭ odham (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · vi bồ nhìn (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · fi variksenpelätin (person regarded as resembling a scarecrow in some way) · eo ĉifonfiguro (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · lld spantedl (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ca espantapardals (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sh пла̏шило (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · gu ચાડિયો (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · pdt Hieezhgrul (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · bg плаши́ло (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ta சொக்கன் (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · it spaventapasseri (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · hi धड़खा (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · he דַּחְלִיל (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · fi linnunpelätin (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sco tattie-bogle (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · sco tattie-boodie (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · uk поторо́ча (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · da fugleskræmsel (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · kn ಗುಮ್ಮ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · nn fugleskremme (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · eu arranpalo (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · uz qoʻriqchi (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · vi mặt mả (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ta வெருளி (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ja 鹿威し (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · eo birdotimigilo (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · az oyuq (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · alt ӱркӱткиш (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · te దృష్టిబొమ్మ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · tg хӯса (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ckb داھۆڵ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · bg чу́чело (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · gsw Gehuuri (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · az qorxuluq (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · izh variksiinvahti (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · pt espantalho (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · es espantajo (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · kn ಬೆಚ್ಚಿಗ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · as চৌ (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · lt baidyklė (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · id penakut burung (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · id orang-orangan sawah (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · myv тандавкс (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · tt карачкы (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ru пу́гало (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ca babarota (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · he דַּחְלִיל (tall, thin, awkward person) · fi pelottelutaktiikka (military equipment or tactics used to scare and deter rather than cause actual damage) · rm spaventegl (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · ug قارانچۇق (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · eu txori-izugarri (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · lv putnubiedēklis (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · kk қарақшы (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there) · st setshosa (effigy fixed to a pole in a field to deter birds from eating crops or seeds planted there)

scarecrow en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈskɛɚˌkɹoʊ/ (General-American)
  • /ˈskɛəkɹəʊ/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

The noun is derived from scare (“to frighten, startle, terrify”) + crow (“bird of the genus Corvus”). The word displaced other terms such as bogle (now dialectal, dated), sewel or shewel, and shoy-hoy (perhaps imitative of the cry of crows). The verb is derived from the noun.

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To cause (a person, their body, etc.) to look awkward and stiff, like a scarecrow (noun sense 1).
    • In the mirror on the opposite wall he can see gray half-moons hanging under his eyes, his hair scarecrowing in tufts and waves. 2013, Patrick Flanery, “Part I: Shelter”, in Fallen Land, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Riverhead Books, →ISBN, pages 244–245:
    • [H]is small frame seeming scarecrowed in the over-large black coat. 2006, Ron S. King, Nowhere Street, page 109:
    • It felt as though the house could keep disgorging debris forever, a tidal wave of unmatched slippers and dresses scarecrowed on hangers, and after sifting through it all we would still know nothing. 1993, Jeffrey Eugenides, chapter 5, in The Virgin Suicides, New York, N.Y.: Picador, →ISBN, page 224:
    • Because it was the end of the dry season, the trees were Seussian, their branches scarecrowing over lawns of brown grass. 2007, Dave Bidini, “Freetown”, in Around the World in 57½ Gigs, Toronto, Ont.: McClelland & Stewart, →ISBN, page 266:
  2. (transitive) To cause (a person, their body, etc.) to look awkward and stiff, like a scarecrow (noun sense 1). ▸ To splay (one's arms) away from the body, like the arms of a scarecrow.
    • With his stiff, awkward body, his knees bent, his arms scarecrowed far to either side, he had acted it all out, had been Adam trembling in the garden of his lost innocence, Moses on Sinai, Jahweh creating the heavens and the earth; […] 1958 February 17, Frederick Buechner, chapter I, in The Return of Ansel Gibbs, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, published April 1958, →OCLC, page 14:
    • He scarecrowed his arms. 'Disya belong to mi. Lang time mi wait fa dis. City nuh change.' 2013, Tom Benn, “Best Served Cold”, in Chamber Music, London: Jonathan Cape, →ISBN, page 231:
    • An arctic wind whooshes down Columbus Avenue like the IRT express, catching her bags, scarecrowing her arms, and threatening to take her broad-brimmed hat downtown. 2010 May 3, Robert N. Chan, “If Pigs Flu”, in The Bad Samaritan, Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, →ISBN:
  3. (transitive) To frighten or terrify (someone or something), as if using a scarecrow.
    • [W]e weren't doing any harm, only going into the fields, and making ourselves scarecrows to the birds. […] Then when I went scarecrowing with the big ones, she'd [his mother would] lead me a terrible life when I got back, threatening to turn me out. [1884], “Fiction and Fact”, in The Picture Reversed, London: The Religious Tract Society; […], →OCLC, page 42:
    • Who is this ugly young man with large feet, scarecrowing the pretty birds from my crops? 1858, Varium, London: L. Booth, […], →OCLC, page 99:
    • [T]hat old acquaintance, […] is neither lullabied with thy sweete Papp, nor ſcarre-crowed with thy ſower hatchet. 1593, Gabriell Haruey [i.e., Gabriel Harvey], “An Advertisement for Pap-hatchet, and Martin Mar-prelate”, in Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse. A Preparative to Certaine Larger Discourses, Intituled Nashes S. Fame, London: […] Iohn Wolfe, →OCLC; republished as John Payne Collier, editor, Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse. […] (Miscellaneous Tracts. Temp. Eliz. & Jac. I; no. 8), [London]: [s.n.], [1870], →OCLC, page 72:
    • she leapt at their battering wings and i swung the broom. around and around i whirled, scarecrowing the demon birds, scrubbing my grandmother's words off the walls. 2016, Glenda Millard, “forgotten thing”, in The Stars at Oktober Bend, 1st UK edition, [Fittleworth, West Sussex]: Old Barn Books, →ISBN, pages 157–158:
    • The herder, a seventeen-year-old boy named Hassan, the youngest son of a friend, scarecrowed madly in his blue robes to force the animals off the asphalt just in time for a silver SUV to whiz by toward Bamako. 2022, Anna Badkhen, “Once I Took a Weeklong Walk in the Sahara”, in Bright Unbearable Reality: Essays, New York, N.Y.: The New York Review of Books, →ISBN, pages 32–33:
    • It has been said of Mr. [Welby] Pugin that he patronises bad drawing, and now we perceive that he patronises very queer perspective, and very bad colouring also; […] Could we fancy that the mode of representation adopted by the latter [Pugin] were so with the intention of scarecrowing people away from those drawings, there might be some policy in it; […] 1849 June, “Architecture,—Royal Academy”, in The Civil Engineer and Architect’s Journal, Scientific and Railway Gazette, volume XII, number 141, London: R. Groombridge and Sons, […], →OCLC, page 164, column 1:
  4. (archaic, transitive) To spoil the appearance of (something, such as the landscape or a view), as scarecrows may be regarded as doing.
    • Fatigued and hungry as our party were after a long drive through the desolate region of malaria, wild buffaloes, wild birds, and yet wilder specimens of the human race, which here and there scare-crow the broad, sadly picturesque expanse between the last cork-trees near Salerno, and the treeless vicinage of the temple of Neptune, we dared not venture upon fish with green bones,—the only dish served up for our repast; […] we all preferred bearing our hunger, and traversing a second time the fiery plain unrefreshed, to breaking our fast upon such suspicious diet; […] 1853 October, “Pike, Salmon, Silurus, Herring, and Company. Esox or Pike.”, in Fraser’s Magazine for Town and Country, volume XLVIII, number CCLXXXVI, London: John W[illiam] Parker and Son, […], →OCLC, footnote *, page 471:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
scarecrows Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
scarecrowed Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
scarecrowed Tense=Past lexicographic
scarecrowing Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Translations (2)

fi häiritä (to spoil the appearance of (something, such as the landscape or a view), as scarecrows may be regarded as doing) · fi saada näyttämään jäykältä (to cause (a person, their body, etc.) to look awkward and stiff, like a scarecrow)