Old Scratch or Mr. Scratch is a nickname or pseudonym for the Devil. The name likely comes from 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 Fair to Middling (1959) by Arthur Calder-Marshall
- "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
- The Barn at the End of Our Term (2007) by Karen Russell
- Homestuck (2009) by Andrew Hussie
Film
- The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)
- The Story of Mankind (1957)
- Crossroads (1986)
- Prince of Darkness (1987)
- The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
- Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare (1987)
- Crazy as Hell (2002)
- 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")
- American Horror Story (Episode: "Sojourn")
- Criminal Minds
- Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Netflix TV Series (2018) by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
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
Video games
- Alan Wake
- Alan Wake's American Nightmare
- Descent 3
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag [2]
- Pirate101
- The Simpsons: Tapped Out
Miscellaneous
- Episode 12 of the podcast Welcome to Night Vale
References
- ^ "Old Scratch", The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin Company, Fifth Edition, 2011
- ^ "Assassin's Creed 4 Walkthrough - Sequence 05 Memory 02: Traveling Salesman (100% Sync)". Youtube. IGN Walkthroughs. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
"Damn You, Old Scratch."- Mary Read