scrappy
adjective

- having a strong, determined character, and willing to argue or fight for what you want

- very competitive and willing to oppose others without fear to achieve something

- ready or eager to fight

- badly organized or put together

- consisting of disorganized, untidy, or incomplete parts

The Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford Languages, Britannica Dictionary

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WORD

This usage of “scrappy“ emerged in American English in the 1890s. It derives from the noun “scrap“ meaning a “fight“ or “quarrel“, combined with the adjectival suffix “-y“.

This informal usage contrasts with the older meaning of “scrappy“ as “consisting of scraps or fragments“, which dates back to the 1840s.

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INVICTUS

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

"Invictus" by William Ernest Henley

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SYNONYMS

a born fighter, a force to be reckoned with, a real terrier, aggressive, assertive, audacious, ballsy, battle-ready, belligerent, bold, brave, bulldog, combative, contentious, courageous, dauntless, defiant, dogged, eager for a scrap, feisty, fierce, fighting fit, firebrand, fiery, full of fight, game, go-getter, gung-ho, gutsy, hard-bitten, hardscrabble, indefatigable, indomitable, intrepid, invincible, lion-hearted, mettlesome, never-say-die, plucky, pugilistic, pugnacious, quarrelsome, ready for a fight, rough-and-tumble, rowdy, scrapper, SCRAPPY, spitfire, spirited, spunky, stalwart, steely, strong-willed, sturdy, take-no-prisoners, tenacious, tireless, tough, unbreakable, unconquerable, undaunted, unflagging, unyielding, valiant, valorous, warlike

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a sentence, say something like:

“In the world of business, sometimes it’s the SCRAPPY innovators who change the game.“

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HAVE A LAUGH and connect today’s OWAD with yesterday’s in a witty way… say something like:

“Watching our SCRAPPY kitten’s EVANESCENT bursts of energy was more fun than a front-row seat at a magic show.”

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