scrambling
noun
[ ˈskramblɪŋ ]
• the action of scrambling up or over rough or steep ground, especially as a leisure activity.
• "the final push for the summit involved some exhilarating scrambling"
• the alteration of the speech frequency of a telephone conversation or broadcast transmission so as to make it unintelligible without a decoding device.
• "he activated the aircraft's radar scrambling unit"
scramble
verb
• 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"
Origin:
late 16th century: imitative; compare with the dialect words scamble ‘stumble’ and cramble ‘crawl’.
