LOOK FORto try to find or do something very quickly, usually by moving your hands or feet in an uncontrolled way 〔忙乱地〕扒找,翻找,摸索着找
scrabble for
He scrabbled for the light switch.
他摸索着找电灯开关。
scrabble around/about
She was scrabbling around, searching for the door.
她摸索着找门。
Examples from the Corpus
scrabble• He inserted his hands into the mud, and scrabbled.• Curious, I began scrabbling about with my foot, to see what it was.• He scrabbled and flungrefuse this way and that and finally he turned his eyes upward.• She was scrabbling around, searching for the door-lock.• Perhaps you're less well-prepared, with fewer resources and had to scrabble around to find your college place through Clearing?• The horse moved on to unsoundground, feeling the danger and scrabbling for a foothold.• There were no masses of poorcrushedtogether in fetidslums, scrabbling for every crust.
scrabble around/about• But they're gone, and you're scrabbling around for work.• I saw you from the doorwayscrabbling around like a maniac.• She was scrabbling around, searching for the door-lock.• Willie and Zach waited at the foot of the ladder while Sammy scrabbled around the first rung.• Perhaps you're less well-prepared, with fewer resources and had to scrabble around to find your college place through Clearing?• Curious, I began scrabbling about with my foot, to see what it was.• But with everyone listening intently, there followed what seemed like hours of scrabbling around with my paper looking for page two.