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scab


to obtain goods by imposing on another's generosity: Can I scab a chip/smoke/dollar?

Contributor's comments: You haven't lived until you've "SCABBED" off your mates. NT as well.

Contributor's comments: At school I often 'scab' lifts off my friends if I don't want to walk somewhere. Also if you get in trouble during the day by a teacher who is on playground duty you might have to do 'scab duty' where you have to walk around with a garbage bin and pick up rubbish.

Contributor's comments: Scabbing things off others was a common occurrence in my Sydney highschool in the 70s and 80s.

Contributor's comments: I grew up with scab (Brisbane) - can I scab some chips? At school, a "bottle scab" was someone who got bottles out of bins to return to the tuckshop for the 10c refund. It wasn't a good thing to be, but kids did it.

Contributor's comments: Also Adelaide.

Contributor's comments: I've only heard this in the Alice, meaning to request a favour /item without any intention of returning it or paying it back.

Contributor's comments: This was a common one at school. 'Scabbing' became a hobby for a mate and I, we'd try to get the money for an ice cream 10 cents at a time. To scab occasionally was alright, but if you did it too often you'd be known as a scab, which wasn't the best rep to have.

Contributor's comments: Scab is also used in New England NSW to denote picking up rubbish in the school playground as punishment.