scramble

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
scramble/ˈskrambl/

▶verb

• 1 move or make one's way quickly and awkwardly, typically by using one's hands as well as one's feet.

  ■ informal act in a hurried, disorderly, or undignified manner: firms scrambled to win public-sector contracts.

• 2 (with reference to fighter aircraft) take off or cause to take off immediately in an emergency or for action.

• 3 make or become jumbled or muddled.

  ■ cook (beaten eggs with a little liquid) in a pan.

• 4 make (a broadcast transmission or telephone conversation) unintelligible unless received by an appropriate decoding device.

• 5 American Football (of a quarterback) run with the ball behind the line of scrimmage, avoiding tackles.

▶noun

• 1 an act of scrambling.

• 2 a walk up steep terrain involving the use of one's hands.

• 3 Brit. a motorcycle race over rough and hilly ground.

• 4 a disordered mixture.

– origin C16: imitative; cf. the dial. words scamble ‘stumble’ and cramble ‘crawl’.