scut1

[skuht] /skʌt/
noun
1.
a short tail, especially that of a hare, rabbit, or deer.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English: hare < Old Norse skutr stern

scut2

[skuht] /skʌt/
noun, Slang.
1.
a worthless, contemptible person.
Origin
1870-75; origin uncertain; perhaps continuation of Scots and dial. scout, scoot, Middle English scoute in same sense; perhaps noun use of Scots scout to spurt, squirt out, scoot
British Dictionary definitions for scut

scut

/skʌt/
noun
1.
the short tail of animals such as the deer and rabbit
Word Origin
C15: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse skutr end of a vessel, Icelandic skott tail
Word Origin and History for scut
n.

"short, erect tail" (of a rabbit, hare, deer, etc.), 1520s; earlier "a hare" (mid-15c.), perhaps from Old Norse skjota "to shoot (with a weapon), launch, push, shove quickly" (cf. Norwegian skudda "to shove, push"), from PIE *skeud- "to shoot, chase, throw" (see shoot (v.).

term of contempt for a person, 1873, of unknown origin.

Slang definitions & phrases for scut

scut

noun
  1. A detestable or contemptible person; crumb, louse: You bloody scut! (1873+)
  2. A novice; recruit; neophyte: The fraternity was famous for treating scuts very roughly (1950s+)
  3. (also scud or scut work) Menial work such as would be given to a novice: a detention company doing scut work around the fort (1950s+)
  4. (also scut dog or scut monkey or scut puppy) A junior intern or physician (1940s+ Medical)
  5. (also scut work) Routine and tedious medical procedures usually relegated to the least senior members of the staff (1940s+ Medical)

[the 1500s slang use, ''vulva, cunt,'' and the standard use ''tail of a hare or deer,'' suggest a core sense ''tail, buttocks, ass,'' reinforced by British dialect skut, ''crouch down,'' and perhaps related to Old Norse skutr, ''stern of a ship''; scut meant ''little boy,'' perhaps fr Scots scudler, ''scullion, kitchen boy,'' among Scotch-Irish settlers in Pennsylvania]