scarify /skārˈi-fī/ transitive verb (non-standard)

To frighten

scarˈily adverb

scarˈiness noun

scarˈy or scareˈy adjective

1. Frightening
2. Timorous

scareˈcrow noun

1. Anything set up to scare birds
2. A vain cause of terror, a bogy
3. A shabbily-dressed person
4. A person so thin that his or her clothes appear ill-fitting

scaredˈy-cat noun

1. A term of abuse used, esp by children, in addressing someone who is afraid to undertake some dangerous or illicit act
2. A coward

scareˈ-head, scareˈ-heading or scareˈ-line noun

A newspaper heading designed to raise a scare

scareˈmonger noun

An alarmist, someone who causes panic by initiating or encouraging rumours of trouble

scareˈmongering noun and adjective

scare quotes plural noun

Quotation marks used to indicate that the enclosed expression is in some way questionable

scare tactics plural noun

Actions or words solely intended to intimidate

scareˈware noun (comput sl)

Malicious software designed to deceive users into buying useless or dangerous products

run scared

To panic

scare the (living) daylights out of or scare the pants off (both informal)

To frighten considerably

scare up

1. To beat up (game) (US and dialect)
2. To hunt out
3. To produce (eg a meal) quickly, to rustle up (informal)

scarify¹ /skarˈi-fī/

1. To make a number of scratches or slight cuts in
2. To break up the surface of (esp soil)
3. To lacerate (the skin) with a series of small punctures, as in inoculation
4. To criticize harshly and severely

scarification /-fi-kāˈshən/ noun

scarˈificātor noun

1. A surgical instrument for scarifying
2. A scarifier

scarˈifier noun

1. Someone who scarifies
2. An implement for breaking the surface of the soil or of a road