Meaning & use
scuffer
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Meaning
nouncountableinformal
A police officer, in slang used mainly in Liverpool and the north-west of England.
Grammar: Plural scuffers; it may sound rude or cheeky, so avoid it in formal speech.
Patterns
- a scuffer
- the scuffers
The lads scattered when they saw a scuffer round the corner.
Somebody called the scuffers after the noise got too loud.
My uncle was a scuffer for thirty years.
Word forms
| plural | scuffers |
|---|
Common combinations
- call the scuffers
- Someone called the scuffers after the window was smashed.
- a couple of scuffers
- A couple of scuffers stood outside the pub.
- a scuffer on the beat
- A scuffer on the beat nodded as we walked past.
- the scuffers are coming
- Run, the scuffers are coming.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cop
- Cop is widely understood across English and is more neutral, while scuffer is local slang.
- copper
- Copper is British informal and widely heard, unlike the regional scuffer.
- bobby
- Bobby is an old-fashioned and friendly British term for a police officer.
- police officer
- Police officer is the neutral, formal term with no slang tone.
Commonly confused: scuffer or scuffle? scuffer or scouser?
scuffer vs scuffle
A scuffle is a brief fight, while a scuffer is a Liverpool slang word for a police officer.
scuffer vs scouser
A Scouser is a person from Liverpool, not a police officer, although scuffer is Liverpool slang.
Practice
In Liverpool slang, what does the word scuffer mean?
Choose one answer.
Scuffer is regional slang for a police officer. A scuffle is a fight, and the other options are unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “scuffer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.