scramble
verb
[ ˈskramb(ə)l ]
• make one's way quickly or awkwardly up a steep gradient or over rough ground by using one's hands as well as one's feet.
• "we scrambled over the damp boulders"
• order (a fighter aircraft or its pilot) to take off immediately in an emergency or for action.
• "the Hurricanes were scrambled again, this time meeting Italian fighters"
• make (something) jumbled or muddled.
• "maybe the alcohol has scrambled his brains"
Similar:
muddle,
confuse,
mix up,
jumble (up),
disarrange,
disorganize,
disorder,
disturb,
throw into disorder,
throw into confusion,
get into a tangle,
mess up,
• (of a quarterback) run with the ball behind the line of scrimmage, avoiding tackles.
• "McNabb scrambled in the third quarter and threw a touchdown pass to Maddox"
scramble
noun
• a difficult or hurried clamber up or over something.
• "an undignified scramble over the wall"
• an emergency take-off by fighter aircraft.
• "the scramble might be a training exercise or it might not"
• a disordered mixture of things.
• "the girl's mouth was a scramble of orthodontist's hardware"
Origin:
late 16th century: imitative; compare with the dialect words scamble ‘stumble’ and cramble ‘crawl’.
