▪ I. scatter, n.
(ˈskætə(r))
[f. scatter v.]
1. a. The action or an act of scattering; wide or irregular distribution; dispersion. Now chiefly with reference to shot.
| 1642 J. W[eall] Prepar. Fast 4 We are exposed aswell to Forraigne and intestine mischiefes. This divide and scatter, if it be not prevented, will be no small curse. 1650 T. Vaughan Anthroposophia 68 Advt. to Rdr., Let Them [sc. the Galenists] not mangle, and discompose my Book with a scatter of Observations, but proceed Methodically to the Censure of each part. 1893 Westm. Gaz. 14 Dec. 5/1 Had there been no deflection from the hard skull the shot..would have been smaller in scatter than it is. |
b. transf. in Linguistics.
| 1934 J. R. Firth Papers in Linguistics 1934–51 (1957) ii. 4 All the common phonetic contexts of each phoneme should be stated, and the contextual spread or ‘scatter’ of the phonemes compared. This knowledge of the contextual scatter of a phoneme will be found of the greatest importance for the statement of our future sound laws. 1935 ― in Trans. Philol. Soc. 45 The frequency of reference to sex had necessarily extended what I term the formal scatter of the word, and we now have sexed, sexless, sexy, sexiness, even sexology. 1963 J. Lyons Structural Semantics vii. 178 One point that seemed to be of relevance in the inquiry was the defective formal ‘scatter’ of the lexeme εἰδέναι. |
2. A quantity loosely distributed or interspersed; a scattering, sprinkling; also
spec. in
Archæol.| 1859 R. F. Burton Centr. Afr. in Jrnl. Geog. Soc. XXIX. 158 Its sole displays quartzose sand, with scatters of granite. 1888 Daily News 17 May 5/8 The bodice, too, had a scatter of diamonds and pearls. 1943 V. Sackville-West Eagle & Dove iii. 17 A sick woman with a scatter of high-spirited children to control would welcome any method of keeping them quiet. 1954 J. B. Mitchell Historical Geogr. iii. 73 A scatter of Scandinavian settlers in a district primarily English. 1959 Listener 12 Mar. 449/2 The ascendancy of the U.S.A., along with that of the U.S.S.R., has relegated the scatter of European nations to subsidiary status. 1974 C. Taylor Fieldwork in Medieval Archaeol. ii. 27 Much of it [sc. the information] will probably be vague, such as notes of pottery scatters, low banks, water-filled ditches and possible old quarries. 1977 Christian IV. 109 The human race is not a scatter of individuals. |
3. Statistics. The degree to which repeated measurements or observations of a quantity differ; that which is measured by the variance.
| 1921 R. S. Woodworth Psychol. (1922) xii. 273 Usually there is some ‘scatter’ in the child's successes. 1923 Proc. R. Soc. A. CII. 357 The question arises as to how much of the ‘scatter’ of the Gaussian curve is due to error of observation, inexperience in making the readings, accidental variations, etc., and how much is due to a real difference in the physiological equipment of the observer. 1934 Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. XXIV. 344 The i.q.'s of the boys showed a wider scatter than those of the girls. 1963 B. Fozard Instrumentation Nucl. Reactors vii. 70 A commonly used measure of the dispersion or scatter of a number of observed values about the central values is the standard deviation. 1968 Brit. Med. Bull. XXIV. 246/2 Most observations are subject to considerable scatter, especially where mammalian systems are used, and statistical procedures of varying complexity are called for. |
4. a. The scattering of light or other radiation.
| 1942 Tee Emm (Air Ministry) II. 145 Preventing the ‘light scatter’ which comes from scratched Perspex or slightly dirty windscreens. 1962 H. C. Weston Sight, Light & Work (ed. 2) vi. 206 It is better that the increased illumination required by older eyes should be provided by ‘warmer’ illuminants so that ‘hazing’ due to scatter within the eyes is minimised. |
b. spec. with reference to radio waves,
freq. denoting the use of scattering within the atmosphere to extend the range of radio communication. Freq.
attrib.| 1950 Proc. IRE XXXVIII. 412/2 For two-directional antennas of beam width θ facing one another, the greatest angle of scatter that need be considered is θ. 1956 Ann. Reg. 1955 155 It was announced that a revolutionary new system of communications, known as ‘scatter’, which was not susceptible to jamming,..would be introduced. 1958 Times 30 Apr. 6/6 A range of tropospheric scatter transmitting and receiving equipment. 1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. XIII. 439/1 Radio relay systems are usually more suitable than the scatter systems for overland use where intermediate radio relay stations can be constructed. 1977 Lancs. Life Nov. 83/2 On the radar screen shown here, Manchester is permanently blacked-out because of ‘scatter’ from buildings and nearby high ground, to avoid masking approaching precipitation. |
5. Comb. scatter diagram,
plot Statistics, a diagram having two variates plotted along its two axes and in which points are placed to show the values of these variates for each of a number of subjects, so that the form of the association between the variates can be seen.
| 1925 F. C. Mills Statistical Methods x. 366 The equation to a straight line, fitted by the method of least squares to the points on the scatter diagram, will express mathematically the average relationship between these two variables. 1937 Yule & Kendall Theory of Statistics (ed. 11) xiv. 275 The scatter diagram in two dimensions may be generalised to three dimensions, and may also be used as a mental construct for higher dimensions, though no actual model can of course be made. 1960 [see karyogram b]. 1971 Nature 9 Apr. 390/2 Scatter diagrams were drawn to show mean concentrations of albumin, γ-globulin, fibrinogen and cholesterol against age. 1971 Jrnl. General Psychol. LXXXV. 266 Inspection of the scatter plot..indicates that any index of relationship would be misleading. 1973 Jrnl. Genetic Psychol. CXXII. 45 Guilford's triangular scatterplot conceptualization of intelligence-creativity relationship seemed most congruent with the present..data. |
▪ II. scatter, v. (
ˈskætə(r))
Forms: 2
scatere, 3–6
scater,
skater, 4
schatre,
scatir(e, 4–5
scatre, 5
skatre, (
schatir), 6
scattre,
skattir,
sketer, 7
skatter, 6–
scatter.
[Early ME. (12th c., Midland); of obscure origin; formed with iterative suffix (see -er5). This and
shatter v. (which appears much later) are commonly regarded as respectively northern and southern representatives of an
OE. *sc(e)aterian, which is referred to a supposed
Teut. root
*skat- cogn. w.
Gr. σκεδ-αννύναι to scatter. The etymological identity of the two
vbs. seems, however, doubtful, although they have some affinity of sense. It is true that in
ME. scatter occurs only in northern and midland texts, with one exception (
quot. 1330, sense 3); and that in this sole southern instance the
MS. spells it with
sch, which should normally stand for (
ʃ). But initial (
sk) from
OE. sc in a native word would be no less abnormal in northern and midland than in southern English. The alleged cognates in
Du. and
LG. are questionable. Two instances are cited of
MDu. schaderen, with the senses ‘to squander (money)’, ‘to shed (blood)’; but this does not agree in form. The sense ‘to scatter’ assigned to early
mod.Du. schetteren, rests on the authority of Kilian, whose citation of the
Eng. word renders his testimony suspicious. The
Du. and
MLG. schateren to resound, to laugh uproariously (
MLG. once, to be shattered by an explosion) would seem to be onomatopoeic; at least their sense cannot easily be derived from that assigned to the alleged
Teut. root.
Cf. scat v.
2 and
squatter v.]
1. trans. To dissipate, squander (goods or possessions).
Obs. or
arch.| 1154 O.E. Chron. an. 1137, He hadde ᵹet his tresor ac he to deld it & scatered sotlice. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 78 For ȝif þes ordres geten nevere so myche good, þei seien þat al is þer ordris, and it were a deedli synne to scatire þes goodis in þe world. 1522 More De quat. Noviss. Wks. 94 They would..neuer be so mad, gredily to gather together that other men shal merely sone after scatter abrode. c 1645 Howell Lett. vi. xvii. (1650) I. 204, I leave the rest of all my goods to my first-born Edward, to be consum'd or scatterd (for I never hoped better). a 1716 South Serm. (1744) VIII. 326 And was it not worth the..seeing his substance scattered, his children struck dead [etc.]. |
| absol. 1879 G. Campbell White & Black 243 Mr. J― says the Germans are the only men who are saving; all the rest scatter. |
2. a. To separate and drive in various directions (a body of men or animals, a collection of things); to disperse, dissipate (a quantity of matter); to dispel (clouds, mists).
| a 1300 E.E. Psalter xvii. 16 [xviii. 14] And he sent his arwes, and skatered þa. 1382 Wyclif Matt. xxvi. 31, I shal smyte the sheperde, and the sheep of the floc shulen be scatered. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 19 Duck downe theire fleete with a tempest, Or ships wyde scatter. 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, iv. iv. 513 Buckingham's Armie is dispers'd and scatter'd. 1596 ― Merch. V. i. i. 33 Dangerous rocks, Which touching but my gentle Vessels side Would scatter all her spices on the streame. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. II. x. 453 Lyk a certane sone, new risen to skail and skattir the Cloudis of al tumulte. 1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden xxiii. 49 The Leaves of wild Clary..put into Pottage..scatter congealed blood. c 1788 Burns Ep. to R. Graham 26 Some spumy, fiery, ignis fatuus matter, Such as the slightest breath of air might scatter. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. iii. 30 A breeze..keen and hostile, scattering the snow. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. IV. xviii. 117 The terrible name of Odo scattered them in all directions. 1879 M. E. Braddon Clov. Foot xxviii, ‘What has become of all the photographs?’.. ‘Given to Tom, Dick and Harry—scattered to the four winds. I have not kept one of them.’ |
| absol. 1594 T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acad. ii. 283 It is the nature of this enemy of mankind [sc. the Devil] to scatter, to disioyne and separat. |
| fig. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 45 So doth God scatter the counsells of his enemies. [Cf. Vulg. Ps. xxxii[i]. 10 Dominus dissipet consilia gentium.] 1822 Shelley tr. Calderon iii. 145 So that Heaven May scatter thy delusions. 1869 Lecky Europ. Mor. I. iii. 430 No one did more to scatter the ancient superstitions than did Cicero. |
b. intr. for refl. To separate and disperse; to go dispersedly or stragglingly.
† Also of a hawk: To go to a distance.
| c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 158 And kepe we vs to-gedre trew That we skater not a-sondre. 1486 Bk. St. Albans b iij b, When thay [a Couy of partrichys] be putt upp, and begynne to scatre, ye most haue markeris to marke some of thaym. 15.. Scot. Field 513 in Chetham Misc. II, When the Skottes..seen our men sketer They..came downwarde. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iii. ii. 126 The Commons like an angry Hiue of Bees That want their Leader, scatter vp and downe. 1610 J. Guillim Heraldry ii. v. (1611) 46 The Fillet is shaped long and narrowe for the more commodious vse of women in..restraining of their haire from scattering about theire browes. 1626 Bacon Sylva §138 Sound diffuseth it selfe in round..; But if the Sound, which would scatter in Open Aire, be made to goe all into a Canale; It must needs giue greater force to the Sound. 1771 Encycl. Brit. II. 541/2 She [the falcon] must also have two good bells, that she may be found when she scattereth. 1795 Southey Joan of Arc vi. 309 Aright, aleft, The affrighted foemen scatter from his spear. 1796 Withering Brit. Plants II. 74 The stems generally decline and scatter from each other, instead of being upright and close together. 1817 Shelley Rev. Islam vi. xix, When on my foes a sudden terror came, And they fled, scattering. 1909 Blackw. Mag. Aug. 230/2 The fugitives scattered for miles, bearing appalling tales of massacre. |
c. refl. Now
rare or
Obs.| 1535 Coverdale 1 Chron. xv. [xiv.] 9 The Philistynes came, and scatered them selues beneth in y⊇ valley of Rephaim. 1579 Tomson Calvin's Serm. Tim. 128/2 They be enimies to the Churche, and scatter themselues farre from vs. 1625 B. Jonson Staple of N. iv. ii. 175 Shr. He'll let you ha' your liberty—. Alm. Goe forth, Whither you please, and to what company—. Mad. Scatter your selfe amongst vs. |
† d. trans. To separate, drive apart (one or more individuals
from the main body).
Obs.| 1588 Earl of Leicester in Defeat Sp. Armada (Navy Rec. Soc.) II. 35 Two of the greatest carracks that the King of Spain had in his fleet, being scattered from the rest. a 1661 Fuller Worthies, Derbysh. (1662) i. 234 Their ships with the violence of the wind were much shattered, and the Bonaventure, scattered from the other two ships. |
† e. fig. To dissipate, distract (the mind, etc.).
| 1450–1530 Myrr. Our Ladye 122 A warnynge to take hede that yf the mynde were eny thynge scatered before, then to gather yt ageyne to gyther. 1625 B. Jonson Staple of N. iv. ii, Look, look, how all their eyes Dance i' their heads (obserue) scatter'd with lust! 1715 tr. T. à Kempis' Chr. Exerc. iii. xv. 138 If thou art hereby scattered in thy Mind. |
3. a. trans. To throw about in disorder in various places.
| c 1330 Arth. & Merl. (Kölbing) 553 Ac þo þai come þider eft, Her werk was al vp aleft & yschatred here & þere. c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 361 The pot to⁓breketh..And somme [of the metals] are scatered al the floor aboute. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xx. 142 The fragments of rock scattered about were..polar. |
† b. To throw down (a thing) negligently; to drop.
Obs. rare—1.
| a 1640 Wizard (MS.) (Nares), It is directed to you; some love-letter, on my life, that Luce hath scattered. |
4. a. To distribute to various positions; to place here and there at irregular intervals. Chiefly in
pa. pple.| c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 445 Mykel more if newe religious be skaterud in Cristendome. 1549 Allen Par. Leo Jude upon Rev. 8 These are y⊇ messengers of Antichrist, scattrid thoroweout the whole worlde. 1712 Swift Let. Eng. Tongue Wks. (1755) II. 184 William the Conqueror proceeded much further; bringing over with him vast numbers of that nation, scattering them in every monastery. 1837 Lockhart Scott I. x. 326 Many tributes to his memory are scattered over his friend's other works. 1868 Ruskin Pol. Econ. Art ii. 130 So long as works of art are scattered through the nation, no universal destruction of them is possible. 1882 P. G. Tait in Encycl. Brit. XIV. 583/1 If stars be scattered through infinite space, with average closeness. |
† b. intr. in
pres. pple. used with a
vb. of rest (
= ‘scattered’).
Obs.| 1555 W. Watreman Fardle Facions Pref. 6 From Adam to the floud..when men liued skateryng on the earthe. 1716 Church Philip's War (1867) II. 149 He answered, there were several Families, but they liv'd scattering. 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. I. 66/2 Laying all the..earth into the furrow again inward, so that none might lie scattering outward. |
c. trans. Baseball. Of a pitcher: to yield (hits) only at intervals and so restrict scoring.
| 1892 Chicago Herald 25 May 6/1 Young kept the hits well scattered. 1954 Post-Herald (Birmingham, Alabama) 7 June 7/2 Winning pitcher was Dave Benedict, who relieved in the first inning and scattered four hits the rest of the way. 1976 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 27 June 2-f/4 Joaquin Andujar scattered 10 hits Saturday to pace the Houston Astros to a 3–0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. |
5. a. To throw or send forth so that the particles are distributed or spread about; to sow or throw (seed, money, etc.) broadcast; to sprinkle, strew; to diffuse (fragrance).
| c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 4682 Molle on þair heueds þai scaterd. 1530 Palsgr. 699/1, I scatter small thynges abrode, as peasyn, or beanes. 1535 Coverdale Ps. cxlvii. 16 He..scatereth y⊇ horefrost like ashes. 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. ii. vii. 25 As it [sc. the Nile] ebbes, the Seedsman Vpon the slime and Ooze scatters his graine. 1644 Symonds Diary (Camden) 54 Some of our men by the King's command scattered some papers, that if any would come in..they should be pardoned. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 107 The Governor..bestows his Largess..liberally scattering Rupees. 1821 Shelley Ginevra 126 The matin winds from the expanded flowers Scatter their hoarded incense. 1861 J. M. Campbell in Bere Garland of Songs 61 We plough the fields and scatter The good seed on the land. |
| absol. 1748 Gray Alliance 17 Scatter with a free, though frugal, Hand. |
b. transf. and
fig. Also,
† to spread (reports, a prophecy).
| 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 118 O ioyfull report, and most acceptable rumour, which was scatered abroade. 1601 Shakes. All's Well i. ii. 54 His plausiue words He scatter'd not in eares, but grafted them To grow there and to beare. a 1662 Heylin Laud ii. (1671) 251 The Lady Davies..scatters a Prophesie against him. a 1771 Gray Birds 2 The song-thrush there Scatters his loose notes. 1858 Longfellow M. Standish iv. 74 A hand-grenade, that scatters destruction around it. |
c. intr. for refl.| 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 35 When it [Pulse] is rype it must be geathered..for it scattereth very soone. 1642 Jer. Taylor Episc. (1647) 233 The Bishop should separate the scabbed sheep from the sound, least their infection scatter. 1720 De Foe Capt. Singleton v. (1840) 93 The small shot..scattered among them. 1817 Shelley Rev. Islam vi. xlvi, A wood Whose bloom-inwoven leaves now scattering fed The hungry storm. |
d. Of a gun, a cartridge: To distribute (the shot). Chiefly
absol.| 1741 Compl. Fam.-Piece i. ii. 320 You must also be well acquainted with the Condition of the Gun, whether it be apt to scatter, or carry the Shot round within Compass. 1823 J. F. Cooper Pioneers i, The gun scatters well. 1881 Greener Gun 439 Cartridge loaded to scatter the shot. |
e. Physics. Of a surface, semi-opaque substance: To throw back (light) brokenly in all directions. More widely, to deflect, diffuse, or reflect (radiation, particles, or the like) in a more or less random fashion. Also
absol.| 1833 Herschel Astron. §45 (1839) 32 The sun..illuminates the atmosphere and clouds, and these again disperse and scatter a portion of its light in all directions. 1878 Ld. Rayleigh Theory of Sound II. xv. 139 If the primary sound be a compound musical note, the various component tones are scattered in unlike proportions. 1882 P. G. Tait in Encycl. Brit. XIV. 583/2 In order that a surface may be illuminated..it must be capable of scattering light. 1891 Hurter & Driffield in W. B. Ferguson Photogr. Res. F. Hurter & V. C. Driffield (1920) 146 Captain Abney has discovered that negatives ‘scatter’ so much light that our instrument cannot possibly measure all the light which a negative transmits. 1911 Phil. Mag. XXI. 675 In these calculations, it is assumed that the α particles scattered through a large angle suffer only one large deflexion. 1938 R. W. Lawson tr. Hevesy & Paneth's Man. Radioactivity (ed. 2) vii. 75 Hydrogen nuclei alone behave differently, for they scatter [neutrons] very much more strongly than would be expected from the magnitude of the cross-section of hydrogen nuclei. 1955 Hueter & Bolt Sonics vi. 232 This limits the sound pressure that can be transmitted beyond the point where cavitation first occurs since the bubbles present will scatter and dissipate a part of the sound energy. 1955 C. G. Darwin in W. Pauli Niels Bohr 6 There were a few α-particles scattered through such broad angles, even right backwards, that no conceivable compound effect could possibly explain them. 1959 Listener 18 June 1057/1 The distortions introduced by scattering a signal from such a surface might not be too serious. 1971 Sci. Amer. June 61/2 Since the neutron and the proton respond to the electromagnetic force, they scatter electrons aimed at them. |
f. intr. Physics. Of radiation, particles, etc.: to undergo scattering.
| 1971 Nature 16 July 167/2 The double reflexion mechanism gives way to multiple reflexions, that is, a ray is trapped in surface cavities before scattering out, randomizing the polarization. 1975 Ibid. 25 Sept. 275/1 The majority of the energy is carried by phonons which inelastically scatter at the interface. 1980 Sci. Amer. July 57/1 Inside it an entering gamma-ray photon typically scatters off several electrons in succession. |
6. trans. To sprinkle or strew
with something.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. x. 35 A narrow way, Scattred with bushy thornes and ragged breares. 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 649 Now scatter'd lies With Carcasses and Arms th' ensanguind Field Deserted. 1720 De Foe Capt. Singleton vi. (1840) 106 The ground was scattered with elephant's teeth. 1902 E. Phillpotts River i, Where the desert spread, all scattered with great stones. |
7. a. Comb.:
scatteraway rare, dispersion;
scatter bomb, a bomb that scatters its material over a wide area; also
fig.;
scatter bombing vbl. n., bombing carried out haphazardly over an area;
scatter-charge,
load, a charge for a gun, made to distribute the shot when fired;
scattershot orig. and chiefly
N. Amer., the shot contained in a scatter-charge; also used
fig. (chiefly
attrib.) to designate something of a random, haphazard, or indiscriminate character (
cf. scatter-gun 2);
scatter-site a. U.S. = scattered-site s.v. scattered ppl. a. 2 b;
† scatter-story, one who ‘spreads’ a report or story;
scatter-tuft, the genus
Sporochnus, one of the algals (
Cassell's Encycl. Dict., 1887);
† scatter-wise adv., in straggling order.
| 1851 Sir F. Palgrave Norm. & Eng. I. 325 So complete was the *scatteraway, that one of the brethren never stopped till he reached Saint-Gâll. |
| 1961 Webster, *Scatter bomb. 1973 J. Quick Dict. Weapons & Mil. Terms 386/1 Fragmentation bombs or fragmentation clusters, as well as certain incendiary bombs equipped with bursters, are scatter bombs. 1977 Rolling Stone 16 June 43/2 Okay, Scorsese is a violent scatter-bomb. 1977 Daily Tel. 3 Aug. 5/5 West Germany's new scatter bomb..comprises more than 1,000 mini-bombs which can be fired in different patterns by rockets triggered from the cockpit. |
| 1940 Aeroplane 13 Sept. 314/1 The *scatter-bombing..must at times have sorely tried pilots who had seen the effects of it. |
| 1881 Greener Gun 439 The *scatter-charge has good penetration at 30 and 40 yards. |
| 1901 Ibid. (ed. 8) Index, *Scatter loads. |
| 1961 Webster, *Scattershot. 1965 Economist 19 June 1393/2 The President's..scatter-shot efforts to reduce the government's spending. 1967 Boston Globe 5 Apr. 51/2 Jack Nicklaus is more concerned over his scattershot driver than the threat of mumps. 1972 Publishers' Weekly 10 July 42/2 Shirley Green brings more scattershot curiosity than serious learning to her ‘history’. 1974 State (Columbia, S. Carolina) 27 Feb. 18-a/6 When demagogic politicians ride the land firing scatter shot, nobody..is safe unless he shares their prejudices. 1978 R. Stevens Law & Politics 505 The future of the judicial role in England..may lie far more with subtle use of judicial restraint than with scattershot judicial activism. |
| 1972 N.Y. Times 3 Nov. 16/2 The *scatter-site housing dispute in Forest Hills. 1977 New Yorker 27 June 85/2 Jimmy Carter's mention of his belief in ethnic purity..in response to a News reporter's question about scattter-site housing. |
| a 1670 Hacket Cent. Serm. (1675) 734 ælian, and some other such *scatter-stories as himself, do make more reports of..unreasonable creatures, than of reasonable men. |
| 1875 G. W. Dasent Vikings III. xviii. 278 They sail very *scatter-wise in coming back, if, indeed, these few ships be part of the host. |
b. attrib., passing into adj. Designating one of a number (intended to be) scattered decoratively here and there, as
scatter cushion,
scatter pin,
scatter rug, etc.
orig. U.S.| 1933 ‘E. Queen’ Siamese Twin Mystery i. ii. 30 A living⁓room..dotted with armchairs and small scatter-rugs. 1946 Negro Digest Aug. 51/1 Its large living room has a vaulted ceiling and arched beams, and the floor is covered with deer skins and scatter rugs. 1957 J. D. Salinger in New Yorker 4 May 123/1 Three domestic Oriental scatter rugs, extremely worn, were on the floor. 1960 Woman 5 Mar. 19/1 Scatter cushions have become a favourite furnishing accessory. 1960 I. Wallach Absence of Cello 13 She stopped first at the jewelry counter where she sneered at some scatter pins. 1966 T. Pynchon Crying of Lot 49 ii. 36 Bracelets then, scatterpins, earrings, a pendant. 1974 J. Irving 158-Pound Marriage 104 The bed..had pitched the mattress and us across the scatter rug. 1976 L. Deighton Twinkle, twinkle, Little Spy xviii. 185 There [were]..scatter-cushions on the floor. 1980 P. Harcourt Tomorrow's Treason i. i. 31 The floor was..wood with a couple of bright scatter mats. |