Who Is Mr. Scratch?

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_Coggins7
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Who Is Mr. Scratch?

Post by _Coggins7 »

Is it any coincidence that in The Devil and Daniel Webster, Satan appeared disguised as...Mr. Scratch?

Could it be that...

No.

Or...
The face of sin today often wears the mask of tolerance.


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_Boaz & Lidia
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Post by _Boaz & Lidia »

Coggins have you been drinking alcohol again?

Seriously.
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_TrashcanMan79
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Post by _TrashcanMan79 »

Wasn't Mr. Scratch the devil's name in "The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving as well? I think Mr. Scratch (or Old Scratch) is an old nickname for Satan (like, well, Old Nick), and I've always assumed our Scratch took his name with this connotation in mind. I could be wrong, of course....
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_Coggins7
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Post by _Coggins7 »

The only one I'm sure of is Webster.
The face of sin today often wears the mask of tolerance.


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_Scottie
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Post by _Scottie »

Old Scratch is a term for Satan.

I would imagine that Mr Scratch is a more formal use of this name.
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_bcspace
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Post by _bcspace »

Old Scratch is a term for Satan.

I would imagine that Mr Scratch is a more formal use of this name.


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_Blixa
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Post by _Blixa »

Coggins7 wrote:The only one I'm sure of is Webster.


"Scratch" and "Old Scratch" are very common and found throughout much folklore. The OED places the term as becoming prevalent in the 18thC and deriving possibly from old Norse. "Mr." Scratch has two well known American literary instances already mentioned, but is also a found in folk uses as well. It's pretty common and not some big surprise...
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_Yoda

Re: Who Is Mr. Scratch?

Post by _Yoda »

Coggins7 wrote:Is it any coincidence that in The Devil and Daniel Webster, Satan appeared disguised as...Mr. Scratch?

Could it be that...

No.

Or...


Scratch has admitted in prior threads that he took his pseudonym from the Daniel Webster book. He said that it was a combination of that book, and also the fact that he likes to "scratch the surface" with new ideas.

There isn't any big conspiracy here. As you have said many times before, "Move along. Nothing here to see."

;)

Happy Valentine's Day, Cogs! Love ya!

:)
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_Mercury
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Post by _Mercury »

Wow coggins, i would have NEVER made THAT connection.

You must be a literary genius!

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_Doctor Steuss
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Post by _Doctor Steuss »

TrashcanMan79 wrote:Wasn't Mr. Scratch the devil's name in "The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irving as well? I think Mr. Scratch (or Old Scratch) is an old nickname for Satan (like, well, Old Nick), and I've always assumed our Scratch took his name with this connotation in mind. I could be wrong, of course....

I think you're right... and wrong *shrugs*

USU78 wrote:You know darned well that "Mr. Scratch" is a character out of U.S. fiction, being the name adopted by the Devil who bet Daniel Webster, the great US barrister, he couldn't get the contract rescinded by which a poor schmuck had sold his soul. They even made a movie about it back in 1941 . . . with Walter Huston as Scratch.

USU "Born at night, but not last night" 78

Mister Scratch wrote:Wow! Believe it or not, I had no idea, USU. I got the name from an old, text-based computer game. Thanks for that tidbit. You learn something new everyday, I suppose.

http://www.mormonapologetics.org/index. ... 1207987056

Mister Scratch wrote:I believe the story of my avatar has already been told, but I'll happily share it again.

The name "Mister Scratch" refers to the short story wherein the Devil takes on Daniel Webster. Since I believe that critiquing Mormonism inevitably involves assuming a kind of "devil's advocate" position, it seemed a fitting moniker.

http://www.mormondiscussions.com/discus ... ster#37531
"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead." ~Charles Bukowski
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