Literary notes about scruffy (AI summary)
In literature, the word "scruffy" is often used to evoke a sense of untidiness that contributes both to character development and atmosphere. It can depict anything from unkempt physical appearances—such as disheveled hair and rugged features [1]—to the broader image of individuals who display a rough-around-the-edges style, whether by choice or circumstance, as seen with the young consultant in an old jacket [2] or the noted figure residing in a chateau previously inhabited by a disreputable character [3]. The term thereby enriches character portraits by introducing a hint of edginess and vulnerability, lending them a more textured, authentic presence in various narrative settings [4][5][6].
- Their bodies had no hair, only the scruffy heads and thick eyebrows, the straggle of mane down neck and spine—-all curly blond and brown.
— from The Mantooth by Christopher Leadem - His consultant was a scruffy young man in an old jacket.
— from The Silicon Jungle by David H. Rothman - "On the road, he asks to whom a fine chateau belongs, and they tell him with a significant look, 'to a former scruffy wretch.
— from The French Revolution - Volume 3 by Hippolyte Taine - "A scruffy bunch of button-pushers and theoreticians.
— from Planet of the Damned by Harry Harrison - An' when he'd git the blues, 'n' feel kind o' scruffy, 'n' aggravated 'n' disgusted—knowin' as he did, that the bills was runnin' up all the time an'
— from Lords of the Housetops: Thirteen Cat Tales - Now, Lloyd switched on their portable electric light and illuminated the bed and two scruffy-looking young men.
— from Scorched Earth: A Future History of Planet Earth by Walter D. Petrovic
