Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to fight, to box.

1840		Era (London) 18 Oct. 5/4: He said, ‘Now then, old tar, when you and I have had an up and a downer, we’ll talk about this matter,’ [...] ‘An up and a downer?’ [...] The defendant: ‘Why, I scrapt him, your worship.’ — Alderman: ‘Officer, please explain what is the meaning of scrapping him.’ — Officer: ‘He means, your worship, fighting’.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 51: The nummy pet gammoned scrapping, stalled a prop in the mug, propped in return, and floored Fuzzle, who gammoned a downer [...] and frisked him rumbo.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 55/1: I wish he wur heer, I’d break his nose for it, the mean scamp. Dost thau think ’ee kan scrapp a little?
1866		Wild Boys of London I 6/1: He can scrap, too, I tell yer. See how he doubled-up Pug the Waddler.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1884		Northern Trib. (Cheboygan, MI) 13 Nov. 9/3: Why is he called Scrapper? Why, because he’s so fond of scrappin’ of course.
1887		Daily News 3 Feb. 7/i: [...] Scrap! What does that mean? – Defendant: It is some boxing term, sir. He came squaring up to me in a fighting attitude, and then I admit I did the best I could [F&H].
1899		J. Flynt Tramping with Tramps 76: They join what are called ‘scrappin’ gangs,’ and spend most of their time in fighting hostile clubs of the same order.
1908		H. Green Maison De Shine 130: An’ pop says I’m the scrappin’ kid.
1914		C.J. Dennis ‘The Play’ in Bulletin (Sydney) 16 July 47/1: Wot’s in a name? Wot’s in a string o’ words? / They scraps in ole Verona wiv the’r swords.
1918		‘Bartimeus’ Long Trick 73: ‘[W]e shall have to scrap if we get into the semi-finals’.
1919		H.C. Witwer Smile A Minute 99: Oh, boy, but them colored babies can scrap! Joe, they can fight without no gun if they had to [...]even their bare fists is good enough for them.
1923		Wodehouse Inimitable Jeeves 70: Cats of all sizes and colours scrapping in the middle of the room.
1934		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Young Manhood in Studs Lonigan (1936) 181: He watched a sailor and a marine scrapping. A pretty girl stopped the fight by kissing each of them.
1943		J. Phelan Letters from the Big House 86: If a screw an’ a lag are scrappin’ [...] an’ if there’s a pool of oil, say, who slips in it, hey?
1959		W. Hall Long and the Short and the Tall Act I: What do you know about scrapping?
1966		(con. 1948–52) L. Thomas Virgin Soldiers 63: No scrapping in ’ere.
1974		P. Larkin ‘Show Saturday’ in High Windows 37: For each scene is linked by spaces / [...] where kids scrap, freed, / While their owners stare different ways with incurious faces.
1983		Totally True Diaries of an Eighties Roller Queen 8 Dec. 🌐 Today Gail wasn’t here so she couldn’t scrap Heather. Too bad. I hate her still. What a bitch. She wrote, ‘Do you want to scrap? Watch it bitch, scrag’ on my locker.
1997		N. Barlay Curvy Lovebox 74: We [...] don’t really wanna scrap.
2006		G. Malkani Londonstani (2007) 80: You gotta be a man an scrap a lick with fools now an then.

2. to argue heatedly.

1895		E. Townsend Chimmie Fadden Explains 67: Say, honest, I was just goin t’ scrap wid him, when de Duchess gives me de wink.
1909		E. Pound in Witemeyer Pound/Williams Correspondence (1996) 13: Besides, youd [sic] much prefer to scrap with an intellegent [sic] person like myself than with a board of directing idiots.
1914		C. Holme Lonely Plough (1931) 70: You scrap with your friends as to which hunter will grab the card.
1922		S. Lewis Babbitt (1974) 22: It’s pretty discouraging to hear them all the time scrapping.
1935		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Judgement Day in Studs Lonigan (1936) 626: A guy scrapped with his girl. He guessed that the lad thought she was two-timing him.
1947		S.J. Perelman ‘Whatever Goes Up’ in Keep It Crisp 64: Oh, stop scrapping, you two!
1959		E. De Roo Go, Man, Go! 75: ‘You two scrap?’ ‘Oh no—’ he assured her with too much certainty.
1999		Guardian G2 26 July 4: White has often scrapped in the public eye.
2012		G. Flynn Gone Girl 127: ‘Just both of us scrapping at each other, the way couples do sometimes’.

3. to fight against.

1935

N. Algren ‘Thundermug’ Texas Stories (1995) 72: Sometimes I have to scrap some perty tough customers.

4. (UK juv.) to remove someone’s trousers against their will.

1959

I. & P. Opie Lore and Lang. of Schoolchildren (1977) 219: ‘Scrap him’ (here defined as debagging him).