Old Scratch
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Old Scratch or Mr. Scratch is a name of the Devil. The name likely continues Middle English scrat, the name of a demon or goblin, derived from Old Norse skratte.[1]
Mentions
Examples of usage of the name "Old Scratch" are found in:
Literature
- "The Devil and Tom Walker" (1824) by Washington Irving
- A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens
- The Three Clerks (1857) by Anthony Trollope
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) by Mark Twain
- The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo (1900) by Rudyard Kipling
- "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1936) by Stephen Vincent Benét
- "The Last Rung on the Ladder" (1978) by Stephen King
- Miracle Monday (1981) by Elliot S. Maggin
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004) by Susanna Clarke
- I, Ripper (2015) by Stephen Hunter
- Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #6 (2016) by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Film
- The Story of Mankind (1957)
- Crossroads (1986)
- The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
- Mud (2012)
Television
- Constantine
- American Dad! (Episode: "Permanent Record Wrecker")
- Lucifer (Episode: "Lucifer, Stay. Good Devil.")
- Quantum Leap (Episode: "The Boogieman")
- The Messengers (Episode: "Death Becomes Her")
- Billions (Episode: "The Wrong Maria Gonzalez")
Music
- "Beelz" song written by Stephen Lynch
- "Three Men Hanging" song by Murder by Death
- "Tight Like That" by Clutch
- "Un-Reborn Again" by Queens of the Stone Age
- "Are You Ready (To Black Metal)" by Witch Taint
Miscellaneous
- Episode 12 of the podcast Welcome to Night Vale
References
- ^ "Old Scratch", The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2011