scratch [LME] Two English dialect words with the same meaning, scrat and cratch, probably combined to form scratch in the medieval period. The origins of from scratch, ‘from the very beginning’, are sporting. In the past sports such as cycling and running sometimes used a handicap system. A line or mark, known as the scratch, was drawn to indicate the starting position for all competitors except those who had been awarded an advantage: they were allowed to start a little way in front. So a competitor starting from scratch would start from a position without any advantage. Up to scratch also comes from this practice, referring to someone who was good enough to start from the scratch line.