What does scurry mean?
Word: Scurry
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Scurry means to run along quickly with short, hurried steps.
Word origin: Shortened from the rhyming English phrase hurry-scurry, in use from the 1700s.
How do you spell scurry?
Syllables: scur - ry
Tricky part: The middle holds a double r, and going by the sound often leaves only one.
Watch out for: scury, skurry
Memory tip: When you hurry you scurry: both words carry the same rr in the middle.
Scurry in a sentence
Example 1: Tiny crabs scurry across the wet sand at Juhu as soon as you come near.
Example 2: When the first drops fell, the shoppers began to scurry towards the covered market.
Example 3: Squirrels scurry up the neem tree outside our classroom window all morning.
Fun Fact
Scurry driving is a British horse sport in which pairs of small ponies pull a light carriage round a course of cones against the clock.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with scurry?
a) curry
b) flurry
c) worry
d) furry
Show answer
d) furry. Furry has the long vowel of fur, while the others share the short vowel of cup.
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) chimney
b) scurrey
c) trolley
d) valley
Show answer
b) scurrey. This verb closes on a plain y; the three nouns do take ey.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
uyrcsr
a) to rush along in a busy, pattering way
b) to jump lightly from one stone to the next
c) to walk slowly with heavy, tired feet
d) to climb up using your hands and knees
Show answer
a) to rush along in a busy, pattering way. The letters make scurry, the movement of a mouse crossing a floor.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with a word of similar meaning:
1. scurry 2. ponder 3. mumble a. mutter b. reflect c. dash
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
Show answer
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. To dash is to move fast, to reflect is to think carefully and to mutter is to speak low and unclearly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A creature you would most expect to scurry is ___.
a) a swan
b) a camel
c) a buffalo
d) a beetle
Show answer
d) a beetle
2. Pupils are most likely to scurry down a corridor when ___.
a) they are admiring a display
b) they have a free period
c) they are strolling with friends
d) they are late for a lesson
Show answer
d) they are late for a lesson
