Both Uses of
scarcity
in
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
- Is it foolishness that there's scarce a house in this town but has a sick child in it?†
p. 182.4 *scarce = in short supply OR barely or hardly (by a small margin)
- If they took you for a witch right now I'd scarce blame them.†
p. 208.4
Definitions:
-
(1)
(scarcity) shortage (having an amount that is less than desired)
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More rarely (and typically in classic literature), scarce can be short for scarcely or hardly or barely or by a small margin -- such as in "She was scarce ten years old," or "I scarce know why."