English

Adjective

scratchy ‎(comparative scratchier, superlative scratchiest)

1. Characterized by scratches.
   • 1977, Agatha Christie, An Autobiography, Part I, chapter4:

     An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’.

2. (chiefly of a sore throat) Annoying, irritating, itchy.
3. (informal, of an analogue radio transmission) Noisy, lossy; marred by white noise or static as a result of poor or low signal, interference or unfavourable atmospheric conditions.

   The FM station two hundred miles away was receivable, but the audio was too scratchy to positively identify.‎

4. (of a phonograph record) Having popping and/or crackling sounds due to excessive wear, especially from scratch marks.