scat
/skæt/ (bre, ipa) · /skæt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈskat/ (ame, mw)
scat — exclamation
1. a quick, sharp cry you use when you want a cat or other animal to leave at once
a quick, sharp cry you use when you want a cat or other animal to leave at once
Beatrix shouted 'Scat!' when the neighbour's cat jumped onto the kitchen table.
scat used as a standalone command to an animal
The old woman clapped her hands and yelled 'Scat!' at the pigeons on her balcony.
scat directed at birds; clapping gesture
Erik waved his arms and cried 'Scat!' as the stray dog sniffed around the picnic basket.
Lan hissed 'Scat!' through the back door whenever the neighbour's rooster came too close.
文法句型
used as a command on its own
用法筆記
Usually said to animals rather than people. When used toward a person, it sounds very harsh or joking.
常見錯誤
scat — noun
- scatsingular
- scatsplural
1. a jazz singing style where the performer makes up sounds and syllables rather th
a jazz singing style where the performer makes up sounds and syllables rather than using real words, often to copy the feel of a trumpet or saxophone
Ella Fitzgerald was famous for her fast and joyful scat singing in songs like 'How High the Moon'.
proper noun + scat singing collocation
The jazz club audience cheered when the singer broke into a brilliant passage of scat.
scat as uncountable noun after 'passage of'
Kasia loved how the bassist and the vocalist traded solos, each answering the other with a short burst of scat.
In jazz history class, Femi listened to a recording of early scat from the 1920s.
- scat singing
the full form of the term; interchangeable with 'scat'
- vocal improvisation
broader term; describes any made-up singing, not just jazz
文法句型
used as an uncountable noun
用法筆記
Uncountable noun — never 'a scat' or 'scats' when referring to the singing style.
2. solid waste from wild animals that scientists gather and study to learn about th
solid waste from wild animals that scientists gather and study to learn about the creatures' diets and travel routes
The biologist collected bear scat from several sites in the forest to analyse the animals' diet.
bear scat + collect scat collocation
By examining fox scat under a microscope, the students could identify seeds from the berries the foxes had eaten.
fox scat + examine under microscope
The park ranger used a field guide to identify deer scat along the hiking trail.
Walid packed a small plastic bag to collect any wolf scat he found during the survey.
文法句型
used as an uncountable noun
用法筆記
A technical or scientific term. In everyday conversation, people usually say 'droppings' or 'poop' instead.
scat — verb
- scatpresent simple I / you / we / they
- scats3rd person singular
- scatting-ing form
- scattedpast simple
1. to sing jazz by making up sounds and nonsense syllables with the voice, often to
to sing jazz by making up sounds and nonsense syllables with the voice, often to mimic the sound of a musical instrument
During the second chorus, the trumpet player stepped back and let the vocalist scat for sixteen bars.
scat for [number] bars — music time frame
Kabir spent every evening practising how to scat like his hero Louis Armstrong.
scat as intransitive verb; practise + infinitive
At the open-mic night, Eli got on stage and began to scat over the piano chords.
Anthony could not read music well, but he could scat with surprising skill.
- improvise
broader term; can apply to any instrument or voice in jazz
文法句型
scat (no object)
用法筆記
Intransitive — you cannot 'scat a song' or 'scat a melody'. The singer just scats.
常見錯誤
2. to leave or move away from a place in a hurry
to leave or move away from a place in a hurry
The children heard their mother call and scatted out of the playground before the rain started.
scat + out of [place]; past tense scatted
Vinícius saw the security guard approach and scatted down the alley without looking back.
scat + down [pathway]; past tense scatted
Femi dropped the apple he was stealing and scatted before the shopkeeper turned around.
The stray cats scatted every time a car rolled down the dirt road.
文法句型
scat (no object); often in imperative 'Scat!'
用法筆記
Very informal and old-fashioned in modern speech. The imperative 'Scat!' as an exclamation is far more common than the verb forms 'scatted' or 'scatting'.
scat — abbreviation
1. a US standardised test of academic ability for entry to schools and colleges; it
a US standardised test of academic ability for entry to schools and colleges; its acronym comes from a five-word title
The counsellor recommended that Yara take the SCAT in the spring to qualify for the gifted programme.
SCAT as proper noun; take the SCAT collocation
Dewi scored in the top percentile on the SCAT and was accepted into the advanced mathematics class.
score on the SCAT; passive 'was accepted'
Erik studied for the SCAT every weekend with a private tutor.
The school required all eighth-grade students to register for the SCAT by October.
文法句型
used with 'the' — 'the SCAT'
用法筆記
Always capitalised as SCAT. Often preceded by 'the'. This test is specific to the US education system and may not be familiar outside North America.
2. a label for passenger planes that fly faster than sound; the letters stand for '
a label for passenger planes that fly faster than sound; the letters stand for 'supersonic commercial air transport'
Engineers at the aerospace firm are developing a new SCAT to replace the retired Concorde.
SCAT as aircraft type; developing + SCAT
The SCAT project aims to cut flight time between London and New York to under four hours.
SCAT project; flight time reduction frame
A Japanese airline placed an order for ten SCAT aircraft from the European manufacturer.
The SCAT design must meet strict noise limits before it can enter service.
文法句型
used as 'SCAT' without article
用法筆記
Always capitalised as SCAT. This abbreviation is not widely used in everyday conversation; aviation professionals and industry reports are the most likely contexts.