scum

/skʌm/
verb
  1. To remove scum from the surface of a liquid.
    • He carefully scummed the impurities from the melted metal.
    • You should scum the jam while it cooks to get a smooth texture.
    • The chef scummed the broth to make it clear.
noun
  1. A layer of dirt, foam, or other unwanted material that forms on the surface of a liquid.
    • The pool filter removed the scum that had collected around the edges.
    • After boiling the soup, skim off the scum that rises to the surface.
    • There was a green scum floating on the top of the pond.
  2. Contemptible or worthless people (used as an insult).
    • The villain in the movie called his enemies scum before the final fight.
    • The newspaper described the criminals as the scum of society.
    • Some people treat others like scum just because they are different.
Synonyms
What does "scum" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean