Both Uses of
scruples
in
Oliver Twist
- Or has my probable advancement to riches and honour, given this scruple birth?'†
Chpt 35 *scruple = an ethical or moral principle that discourages certain kinds of action
- 'Don't scruple to answer freely, man.†
Chpt 37
Definitions:
-
(1)
(scruples) ethical or moral principles that discourage certain kinds of action
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, scruple can be used as a verb meaning "hesitate on moral grounds" as in "He lied and did not even scruple about it."
Even more rarely and archaically, at one time a scruple was a measure of weight equal to 20 grains (about 1.3 grams).