Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also scrape, scrap-up) a fight.

1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 5/1: Such meetings don’t always end as they begin, it being customary to wind up with a general ‘slog’ or at least a private ‘scrapp’. [Ibid.] 11/2: As soon as the scrape began, blows from unexpected quarters fell thick and heavy around.
1880		London Dly News 29 July 4/8: A few gentlemen [...] wished to see a really good scrap.
1882		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 3 June 10/1: [of a duel] Our society editor gave us due notification of tliis prospective ‘scrap’.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 19 Sept. 6/1: The recent little ‘scrap’ in London, when Sir George Chetwynd put up one of the noble ‘shutters’ of the Earl of Lonsdale, reminds us that pugilism is not quite a lost art among our blessed old nobility.
1893		S. Crane Maggie, a Girl of the Streets (2001) 4: ‘Gee!’ he murmered with interest, ‘A scrap. Gee.’.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 17 June 3/5: The result of which was a ‘scrap’ betwen two sailors and a plunge for liberty into the bay.
1898		E. Pugh Tony Drum 195: So we had a scrap up.
1900		Boy’s Own Paper 24 Nov. 115: We had our own little scraps with the Indians as we came through.
1900		Marvel XIV:343 June 16: The scrap-up continued for half an hour.
1903		‘Dads Wayback’ in Sun. Times (Sydney) 8 Feb. 4/4: ‘[B]ein’ mostly Irish [...] a scrap is like whisky in their tea’.
1908		H. Green Maison De Shine 283: But ef you’re huntin’ a scrap, come on out ’n the street.
1910		Sun. Times (Perth) 1 May 2nd sect. 9/1: They Say [...] That he Esplanade green was recently the scene of a sudden scrap. That there were two well-known athletes mixed in the gory go.
1910		Marvel 15 Oct. 4: On Wednesday night, there’s going to be the biggest scrap in Plumstead ever you’ve seen in your life.
1912		Truth (Wellington) 6 Apr. 6/4: It was not the first time he had had a scrap.
1917		‘A-No. 1’ From Coast to Coast with Jack London 104: Becoming warmed up to the scrap which had been forced on him.
1929		(con. 1916) F. Manning Her Privates We (1986) 153: A like a scrap as well as any man.
1934		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Young Manhood in Studs Lonigan (1936) 226: I got in a scrap over a broad.
1937		J. Curtis There Ain’t No Justice 21: Put up a good scrap.
1941		G. Kersh They Die with Their Boots Clean 123: ’E’d never ’ad a scrap in ’is life.
1951		Green & Laurie Show Biz from Vaude to Video 55: The Fitzsimmons-O’Brien scrap was shown in 1905 movie houses.
1953		P. Closterman (trans.) Big Show 43: It was captain Martell’s calm voice. You could feel he was hugging himself at the prospect of the big scrap coming.
1966		T. Keyes All Night Stand 54: Dave may be strong, but he would never dare start a scrap with me.
1976		D. Ireland Glass Canoe (1982) 15: During a little scrap up a dusty lane someone hit one of Danny’s mates with an iron bar.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 92: Did I tell you about me scrap with Liam Gallagher?
2000		Sun. Times Mag. 6 Feb. 9: We went into this scrap on the kitchen floor [...] She threw the knife across the room, and we both stopped fighting.
2001		(con. 1990s) in J. Miller One of the Guys 86: ‘If they get into a scrap [...] we make ’em show love’.

2. a heated argument, a quarrel.

1900		Ade More Fables in Sl. (1960) 114: He knew just how to Arbitrate a Domestic Scrap.
1908		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘Outside and Declined’ Sporting Times 8 Aug. 1/3: For ourselves, whene’ver we’ve had a scrap, the home team has sufficed, / Interference from outside I’ve always parried.
1922		S. Lewis Babbitt (1974) 113: The great scrap is between dry flies and wet flies. Personally I’m for dry flies.
1939		H. Miller Tropic of Capricorn (1964) 238: There’s no complications [...] no love letters, no scraps, what?
1988		R. Doyle Commitments 57: The time was right for a bit of laying down the law. – No rows or scraps, righ’.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 53: He knew not to give in over anything without a full-blooded scrap.
2000		Observer Rev. 7 May 3: When it comes to bitchy scraps, Tatler v. Harpers & Queen is right up there.

3. a military encounter.

1915		K.Y. Rockwell letter 29 Oct. in War Letters (2008) 88: I received a note from Skipper [...] saying that he was going that night to the trenches with extra cartouches and food and a musette full of grenades, which means another scrap.
1916		E. Genet letter 6 Jan. in Channing War Letters of Edmond Genet 126: [of the whole war] Peace negotiations take months and especially will those of this world-wide scrap.
1923		P. MacGill Moleskin Joe 22: When there’s a scrap on, it’s easy pluggin’ a bloke unbeknowin’!
1947		D. Davin For the Rest of Our Lives 79: The bastards got my cobber the first day of the scrap.