What is "scum"

Scum \Scum\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Scummed; p. pr. & vb. n. Scumming.]

1. To take the scum from; to clear off the impure matter from the surface of; to skim.

   You that scum the molten lead.
   --Dryden & Lee.

2. To sweep or range over the surface of. [Obs.]

   Wandering up and down without certain seat, they lived by scumming those seas and shores as pirates.
   --Milton.

Scum \Scum\ (sk[u^]m), n. [Of Scand. origin; cf. Dan. & Sw. skum, Icel. sk[=u]m, LG. schum, D. schuim, OHG. sc[=u]m, G. schaum; probably from a root meaning, to cover. [root]158. Cf. Hide skin, Meerschaum, Skim, v., Sky.]

1. The extraneous matter or impurities which rise to the surface of liquids in boiling or fermentation, or which form on the surface by other means; also, the scoria of metals in a molten state; dross.

   Some to remove the scum as it did rise.
   --Spenser.

2. refuse; recrement; anything vile or worthless.

   The great and innocent are insulted by the scum and refuse of the people.
   --Addison.

Scum \Scum\, v. i. To form a scum; to become covered with scum. Also used figuratively.

Life, and the interest of life, have stagnated and scummed over.
--A. K. H. Boyd.

early 14c. (implied in scummer "shallow ladle for removing scum"), from Middle Dutch schume "foam, froth," from Proto-Germanic *skuma- (cognates: Old Norse skum, Old High German scum, German Schaum "foam, froth"), perhaps from PIE root *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (see hide (n.1)).\n

\nSense deteriorated from "thin layer atop liquid" to "film of dirt," then just "dirt." Meaning "lowest class of humanity" is 1580s; scum of the Earth is from 1712. Adopted in Romanic (Old French escume, Modern French écume, Spanish escuma, Italian schiuma).

n. 1 (context uncountable English) A layer of impurity that accumulates at the surface of a liquid (especially molten metal or water). 2 (context uncountable English) A greenish water vegetation (such as algae), usually found floating on the surface of ponds 3 The topmost liquid layer of a cesspool or septic tank. 4 (context uncountable slang chiefly US English) semen 5 (context countable derogatory slang English) A reprehensible person or persons. 6 (context countable derogatory slang English) police officer(s) vb. 1 To remove the layer of scum from (a liquid etc.). 2 To remove (something) as scum. 3 To become covered with scum. 4 (context obsolete English) To scour (the land, sea etc.). 5 (context obsolete English) To gather together, as scum. 6 (cx video games informal English) To startscum or savescum.

1. n. worthless people [syn: trash]

2. a film of impurities or vegetation that can form on the surface of a liquid

3. [also: scumming, scummed]

Scum or S.C.U.M. may refer to:

Scum is the third studio album by English punk rock band the Anti-Nowhere League and the first album of new material released since the original band's breakup ten years previously. A new lineup is featured, with only lead singer Animal and guitarist Magoo remaining from the band which recorded the much-criticised The Perfect Crime LP in 1987. The album also marks a return to the ANL's "classic" punk- metal sound.

"Scum" is a song by Meat Puppets, released as the first promotional single from the No Joke! record. It only holds the title song.

Scum is a British television play written by Roy Minton and directed by Alan Clarke. It was intended to be screened as part of the Play for Today series. Instead the production was banned by the BBC after it was completed in 1977, and not aired until 27 July 1991. In the interim, a theatrical film version was released in 1979. The original version features Ray Winstone (in one of his earliest roles), Phil Daniels and David Threlfall.

Scum is the debut album by English grindcore band Napalm Death. It was released on 1 July 1987 through Earache Records.

Side A of Scum was originally recorded for £50.00 at Rich Bitch studio ( Birmingham, England) in August 1986. It was intended to form part of a split release with English crossover thrash band Atavistic on Manic Ears ( Bristol, England). After an extensive line-up change, the second half of Scum was recorded in May 1987 at Rich Bitch studio. The two sides were combined and released as a single album. Only drummer Mick Harris played on both sides of the album.

The first pressing of the CD (1988) came as a 54-track CD, which included the From Enslavement to Obliteration album and four bonus tracks. In 1994, the first two albums were re-released separately. A remastered version was released on 27 January 2012. The album cover was designed by Bill Steer's Carcass bandmate Jeffrey Walker. The album covers came in varied colours: orange, gold, green, blue, and yellow. The song " You Suffer" was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's shortest song; the track is precisely 1.316 seconds long.

Scum is a 1979 British crime drama film directed by Alan Clarke, portraying the brutality of life inside a British borstal. The script was originally made as the television play Scum for the BBC's Play for Today strand in 1977, however due to the violence depicted, it was withdrawn from broadcast. Two years later, director Alan Clarke and scriptwriter Roy Minton remade it as a film, first shown on Channel 4 in 1983. By this time the borstal system had been reformed and eventually allowed the original TV version to be aired.

The film tells the story of a young offender named Carlin as he arrives at the institution and his rise through violence and self-protection to the top of the inmates' pecking order, purely as a tool to survive. Beyond Carlin's individual storyline, it is also cast as an indictment of the borstal system's flaws with no attempt at rehabilitation. The warders and convicts alike are brutalised by the system. The film's controversy was derived from its graphic depiction of racism, extreme violence, rape, suicide, many fights and very strong language.

Scum would be one of the most controversial British films of the early 1980s, but has since become regarded as a popular classic.

Scum is a hardcore punk/ black metal band formed in 2002 with members from Amen, Emperor, Zyklon and Turbonegro. All members are Norwegian except for American vocalist Casey Chaos. According to the band, their idea is to play "black metal with a real punk rock attitude".

Their album, Gospels for the Sick, was recorded in one single session in 2004, and they have only had a few live performances, one being at the Norwegian festival (Øya Festivalen) in the summer of 2005, and another at Camden Underworld in London, which footage of is available on YouTube. The band had guest appearances from several artists, one of which was Mortiis who cowrote and performed on the yet unreleased song "Speaking in Tongues".