scratching

1. (UK, in the plural) A piece of deep-fried batter left over from frying fish, sometimes sold with chips.Examples: "We all had a portion of chips and one fish was shared between all of us. Sometimes the lady serving would give us a free bag of scratchings (the bits of batter)."; "The crispy bits of batter and small crispy chips that were left at the end of the night were given away to whoever needed them. If he could, Cesidio would throw in a free 'haddie' or a haggis with the scratchings, offering a helping hand discreetly, with no thanks asked for."; "The best thing is, you pay for the chips and you get the pea wet and scratchings for free. It's lovely. You should try it."Synonyms: scrap, gribbleUKcountablein-pluraluncountable