Etymograph

English

sclaff

Sclaff comes from Scots sclaff ‘to slap, shuffle’.

  1. Scotsc. 1450–presentsclaff1‘to slap, shuffle’
  2. Englishtodaysclaff1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English sclaff

Lineage

  1. Scotsc. 1450–presentsclaffWiktionary, English sclaff‘to slap, shuffle’
  2. EnglishtodaysclaffWiktionary, English sclaff

Every English word from Scots sclaff

Today it means

noun A poor golf shot, where the club hits the ground before it hits the ball.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “sclaff”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Scots sclaff / sclaff

Shirt and support for this word