Scrabble Game in which two to four players compete in forming words with lettered wooden tiles on a 225-square board. Words spelled out by letters on the tiles interlock like words in a crossword puzzle. Words are
scored by adding up the point values of their letters. The game (originally called Lexico) was developed by Alfred Butts, an unemployed architect, in 1931. It was redesigned and renamed Scrabble by Butts and James Brunot in 1948. Tens of millions of sets have been sold in many languages worldwide.
scrap metal Used metals that are an important source of industrial met¬ als and alloys, particularly in the production of steel, copper, lead, alumi¬ num, and zinc. Smaller amounts of tin, nickel, magnesium, and precious metals are also recovered from scrap. Impurities consisting of such organic materials as wood, plastic, paint, and fabric can be burned off. Scrap is usually blended and remelted to produce alloys similar to or more complex than those from which the scrap was derived. See also recycling.
screech owl Any of numerous owls of the genus Otus (family Strigidae). Both New World species and Old World species (called scops owls) have a facial disk and ear tufts. In spite of their name, they do not in fact screech. Their colouring resembles tree bark, and they are 8-12 in. (20-30 cm) long. They eat mostly small mammals, birds, and insects. Notable species are the common screech owl ( O. asio) of North America, the flammulated owl ( O. flammeolus) of western North America, and the common scops owl ( O . scops) of southern Europe, Asia, and Africa.
screenplay Written text that provides the basis for a film production. Screenplays usually include not only the dialogue spoken by the characters but also a shot-by-shot outline of the film’s action. Screenplays may be adapted from novels or stage plays or developed from original ideas sug¬ gested by the screenwriters or their collaborators. They generally pass through multiple revisions, and screenwriters are called on to incorporate suggestions from directors, producers, and others involved in the filmmak¬ ing process. Early drafts often include only brief suggestions for planned shots, but by the date of production a screenplay may evolve into a detailed shooting script, in which action and gestures are explicitly stated.
screw In machine construction, a usually circular cylindrical member with a continuous spiral rib or thread, used either as a fastener or as a force and motion modifier. Various types of screws are used to clamp machine parts together. Wood screws are made in a wide variety of diam¬ eters and lengths; when using wood screws, small starting holes called pilot holes are often drilled first to avoid splitting the wood. Screws that modify force and motion are known as power screws. The screw is con¬ sidered one of the five simple machines. See also wedge.
screwworm Any of several North and South American blowfly species named for the screwlike appearance of the larva’s body, which is ringed with small spines. Screwworms attack livestock and other animals, includ¬ ing humans. The true screwworm ( Cochliomyia hominivorax ) and the secondary screwworm ( Callitroga macellaria) develop in decaying flesh; they may also attack healthy tissue. Each female deposits 200-400 eggs near an open wound. The larvae burrow into the tissue and, when mature, drop to the ground to pupate. Severe infestations (myiasis) may kill the affected animal.
Scriabin Vskrya-binV Aleksandr (Nikolayevich) (b. Jan. 6, 1872, Moscow, Russia—d. April 27, 1915,
Moscow) Russian composer and pia¬ nist. He studied piano and composi¬ tion at the Moscow Conservatory and then launched a successful con¬ cert career. His early music was mostly for piano (including etudes, preludes, and sonatas) but also included two symphonies and a piano concerto. After 1900 he was much preoccupied with mystical phi¬ losophy and began using unusual harmonies, producing a third sym¬ phony and the Divine Poem (1904).
He became involved in theosophy, which provided the basis for the orchestral Poem of Ecstasy (1908) and Prometheus (1910); the latter called for the projection of colours onto a screen during the perfor¬ mance. No longer thinking in terms of music alone, he made sketches for a huge operatic ritual, Mysterium, which was never composed.
Aleksandr Scriabin.
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1708 I Scribe ► Scythian
Scribe Vskreb\, (Augustin) Eugene (b. Dec. 24, 1791, Paris, France—d. Feb. 20, 1861, Paris) French playwright and librettist. He wrote some 350 dramas, most of which proved extremely successful, and he became the most popular opera librettist of his time. His librettos include Gioacchino Rossini’s Count Ory (1828), Vincenzo Bellini’s The Sleepwalker (1831), Gaetano Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love (1832), Gia¬ como Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots (1836), and Giuseppe Verdi’s The Sicilian Vespers (1855).
Scribner, Charles orig. Charles Scrivener (b. Feb. 21, 1821, New York, N.Y., U.S.—d. Aug. 26, 1871, Lucerne, Switz.) U.S. publisher. In 1846, in partnership with Isaac D. Baker (d. 1850), Scribner established the publishing firm of Baker & Scribner in his native New York City. In 1878 the firm was renamed Charles Scribner’s Sons. Its list initially consisted of philosophical and theological (mainly Presbyterian) books, but it later included reprints and translations of British and continental European lit¬ erature. Among the firm’s periodicals was Scribner’s Monthly (1870-81). After his death other members of the Scribner family continued the business.
Scribner family Family of U.S. publishers whose firm, named Charles Scribner’s Sons from 1878, issued books and periodicals. After the death of its founder, Charles Scribner, the company was headed successively by his sons John Blair (1850-1879), Charles (1854-1930), and Arthur Haw¬ ley (1859-1932). During the long presidency (1879-1928) of the second Charles Scribner, the firm published such authors as Henry James, Theodore Roosevelt, Edith Wharton, Ernest Hemingway, George Meredith, and Rud- yard Kipling. Later presidents were Charles Scribner (1890-1952), son of the second Charles; and his son Charles, Jr. (1921-1995), who also served as president of Princeton University Press, founded in 1905 by his grand¬ father. Charles Scribner’s Sons was purchased in 1984 by Macmillan Inc.
scrimshaw Decoration of bone or ivory objects, such as whale’s teeth and walrus tusks, with fanciful designs, traditionally carved by Anglo- American and Native American whale fishermen with a jackknife or sail needle and emphasized with black pigments (e.g., lampblack). Among the traditional subjects are whaling scenes, ships, naval battles, flower bou¬ quets, Masonic emblems, coats of arms, and the Irish harp. The earliest surviving examples date from the late 17th century, but the craft reached its peak in 1830-50. It is still practiced by whalers in Siberia and Alaska.
Scripps, Edward Willis (b. June 18, 1854, near Rushville, Ill., U.S.—<1. March 12, 1926, at sea off Monrovia, Liberia) U.S. newspaper publisher. He was first employed by his half brother, James Edmund Scripps (1835-1906), on newspapers in Detroit. He began publishing his own papers in 1878 and eventually owned 34 in 15 states. He was a part¬ ner in forming the first major U.S. newspaper chain, the Scripps-McRae League of Newspapers (1894). In 1907 he consolidated regional Scripps news services as United Press (after 1958, United Press International). In 1922 he transferred his interests to his son, Robert Paine Scripps (1895— 1938), who with Roy W. Howard formed the Scripps-Howard chain. The E.W. Scripps Co. now operates the latter chain and includes varied media holdings in addition to newspapers.