Hard crusts that form over healing wounds as protection during the healing process. Also a derogatory term for workers who cross picket lines during strikes.
From Old English 'sceabb,' related to Old Norse 'skabb' meaning 'scab' or 'itch.' The labor sense developed in the 18th century, comparing strike-breakers to the crusty, unwanted covering of a wound.
The metaphorical leap from medical scabs to strike-breakers is brilliant and brutal - both are seen as unwanted crusts that form over wounds, preventing proper healing. This shows how physical disgust can be transferred to moral judgment through language.
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