scrawl down
B2 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To write something fast in a messy way that is hard to read.
Literal meaning: To scrawl (write messily) something down (onto paper/a surface, recording it).
Meanings
1 B1 informal
To write something quickly and untidily in order to record it.
"She scrawled down his phone number on a napkin before he left the restaurant."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
'Scrawl' already implies messy writing; 'down' reinforces the act of recording something. The combination is slightly redundant but commonly used. More idiomatic than simply 'scrawl'.
Commonly used with
number address note message name directions
Forms
Base
scrawl down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
scrawls down
he/she/it
Past simple
scrawled down
yesterday
Past participle
scrawled down
have + pp
-ing form
scrawling down
continuous
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Synonyms
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