Let's start with the word "scrabble," which we took into English from Dutch in the 1500s and, as you probably know, means "to scrawl, to scribble: to write messily."

Eventually "scrabble" also grew to mean "to scratch, to scrape," which was often said of animals using their claws. "Scrabble" then came to mean "to struggle along with the paws, either literally on the ground or figuratively through life."

It's that last sense that we'll focus on: "scrabbling" in the sense of scraping out an existence, as if you're trying to move along by scratching at the ground with your fingernails. By the 1700s, the word "hardscrabble" arose in the U.S. to mean "land that doesn't easily allow you to grow crops," and more figuratively, "a struggle: a way of doing things that takes a ton of hard work." From there it became a gritty, frontiers-y name for a place, such as Hardscrabble, Virginia. To which I am not tempted to move. How about you?

We still use those meanings of "hardscrabble" today, but much more often we use it as an adjective: things are hardscrabble when they're the kind that require a difficult, constant struggle, as if by scratching along through life with your fingernails.

Part of speech:

Most often an adjective: "a hardscrabble life," "a hardscrabble farm."

Also a noun: "They live on a scrap of hardscrabble;" "They made a hardscrabble for the championship."

Other forms: 

None are common today. In other texts, you might see it hyphenated ("hard-scrabble") or split into two words ("hard scrabble").

how to use it:

"Hardscrabble" is a rare word, but it's fun to say and easy to understand. Pick it when you want to sound slangy as you describe places and other things that involve eking out a living through hard physical labor.

You might talk about hardscrabble dirt, weeds, trees, farms, neighborhoods, towns, jobs, lives, or lifestyles, or you might talk about someone's hardscrabble roots or childhood.

You might even refer to people as hardscrabble. Here's Daniel James Brown: "Her few social companions consisted of the ill-educated and hardscrabble wives of sawyers and miners."

examples:

"Before she took her stage name from the 50s melodrama Ruby Gentry, she was Roberta Lee Streeter of Chickasaw County. Her parents divorced when she was a baby and she experienced a hardscrabble childhood on her grandparents' farm – they acquired young Bobbie's first piano from a neighbour in return for a dairy cow."
  — Dorian Lynskey, The Guardian, 15 January 2013

"Well you're tougher than leather.
No old burlap sack.
Not some hardscrabble weeds
Growing up through the cracks."
  — Elton John, "Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)," 2010

has this page helped you understand "hardscrabble"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "hardscrabble" without saying "rough" or "exhausting."

try it out:

Let's use "hardscrabble" to make fun of something that seems rough, crude, unpleasant, or uncivilized.

Fill in the blanks: "(Something) is the delinquent of the (something) family, the hardscrabble cousin who (does something)."

Example 1: "The Florida avocado is the delinquent of the avocado family, the hardscrabble cousin who's always getting arrested for something involving alligators and/or fireworks."

Example 2: "The cows in question were lean, long-horned teenagers known as vachettes. Bullish in both appearance and temperament, they’re the juvenile delinquents of the cow family, the hardscrabble cousins who sleep in trailers and fight like men."
  — David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day, 2000

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is Just Joshing: John Oliver Edition!

Flex your creativity and word-finding skills as you fill in the blanks to create your own joke, following the example of the comedian John Oliver. Since the LOLs are in the details, try making your joke as specific (or weird) as possible.

For example, if I give you "The only things you should be buying on eBay are _____ and _____," then you might give me "The only things you should be buying on eBay are pieces of gum chewed by Elvis and unassembled snowmen." (Oliver's actual joke was "The only things you should be buying on eBay are vintage RadioShack swag and a discarded e-meter from the Church of Scientology.")

Try this one today: "But, if I may, a little correction there: 'the most private, sensitive data' about an American isn't their bank account information. It is _____."

To see my crack at it, as well as Oliver's original joke, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. The opposite of HARDSCRABBLE, the noun, could be

A. EASY MARK.
B. EASY STREET.
C. EASY ACCESS.

2. He tells stories of his supposedly hardscrabble childhood, but check out this _____.

A. report card showing he earned good grades
B. school news article detailing his early athletic talent
C. picture of him between his parents as they sip martinis on a yacht

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. C From the game: My crack at it: "'The most private, sensitive data' about an American isn't their bank account information. It is the number of times per week they don't feel like cooking dinner so they eat Flavor-Blasted Goldfish until they aren't hungry anymore." Oliver's original joke: "'The most private, sensitive data' about an American isn't their bank account information. It is their Google search history."

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.