scalp

Etymology

From Middle English scalp, skalp, scalpe (“crown of the head; skull”). Originally a northern word, and therefore probably from a North Germanic source, although the sense-development is unclear; compare Sylt North Frisian Skolp (“dandruff”), Old Norse skálpr (“sheath”), Old Swedish skalp, Middle Dutch schelpe (“shell”).

noun

1. (now dialectal) The top of the head; the skull.
2. The part of the head where the hair grows from, or used to grow from.
   1. (historical) A part of the skin of the head, with the hair attached, formerly cut or torn off from an enemy by warriors in some cultures as a token of victory.
      Some tribes used to collect scalps to prove how many of the enemy they had killed in battle.
   2. (heraldry) The skin of the head of a stag, to which the horns are attached.
      He bears for Arms : Argent, on a chevron invected gules, between two bugle-horns sable, stringed of the second in chief, and the attires of a stag affixed to the scalp in base of the third, two fasces chevronways or. 1899, Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, Armorial Families: A Directory of Some Gentlemen of Coat-armour, Showing which Arms in Use at the Moment are Borne by Legal Authority, page 313
3. (figurative) A victory, especially at the expense of someone else.
   Pat Buchanan, in his ongoing presidential quest, claimed his first scalp, and Donald Wildmon's newsletter chortled that his efforts in opposing the NEA had paid off. 1993, John Frohnmayer, Leaving Town Alive: Confessions of an Arts Warrior, page 331
   Admiral Lee, aboard USS Washington, can content himself with the fact that his ship has claimed the scalp, or helped claim the scalp, of three out of the four Kongō class, and has landed meaningful hits on Nagato and Yamato as well, making it the single most successful U.S. battleship in history. 5 May 2021, Drachinifel, 46:28 from the start, in Battle of Samar - What if TF34 was there?, archived from the original on 2022-08-19
   Randy Waldrum’s Nigeria, ranked 40th in the world, 36 places below England, looked as if they would claim the latest big scalp and knock out the European champions after the eliminations of Brazil, Canada, Germany and the USA. 2023-08-07, Suzanne Wrack, “England beat Nigeria on penalties to reach Women’s World Cup quarter-finals”, in The Guardian
4. (Scotland) A bed or stratum of shellfish.
5. (figurative) The top; the summit.

verb

1. To remove the scalp (part of the head from where the hair grows), by brutal act or accident.
   Next morning, the Indians attacked us and one of our hunters, George Huffman, was killed and scalped. As soon as Baldwin heard the shooting, he came to our assistance. 2001, Peter Cozzens, Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars, 1865-1890: Conquering the Southern Plains, Stackpole Books, page 507
2. (Canada, US, slang) To resell, especially tickets, usually for an inflated price, often illegally.
   Tickets were being scalped for $300.
   Tickets sold online through Craigslist, eBay, and other forums, where the purchaser cannot physically see them, run a greater risk of being counterfeit—but counterfeiters have been known to scalp tickets in person outside the venue as well, […] 2011, Linda E. Swayne, Encyclopedia of Sports Management and Marketing, SAGE, page 324
3. (gambling) To bet on opposing competitors so as to make a profit from the bookmaker.
   The only sure thing about scalping the Series today is that the scalper is paying the bookie a greater profit because he is making a greater number of bets. 1961, John Scarne, Complete Guide to Gambling, page 102
4. (finance) On an open outcry exchange trading floor, to buy and sell rapidly for one's own account, aiming to buy from a seller and a little later sell to a buyer, making a small profit from the difference (roughly the amount of the bid/offer spread, or less).
5. To screen or sieve ore before further processing.
   scalped ore
6. (surgery) To remove the skin of.
   We must […]"scalp" the whole lid [of the eye]. 1870, J. S. Wells, Treatise on the Diseases of the Eye
7. (transitive) To remove the grass from.
8. (transitive) To destroy the political influence of.
9. (milling) To brush the hairs or fuzz from (wheat grains, etc.) in the process of high milling.