Also referred to as hard scrapple, hard-scrapple, or
hardscrabble, a hardscrapple life is one that is tough and absent of luxuries. It refers to the dish
scrapple, made from whatever’s left of the pig after the ham and sausage are made, the feet
pickled, and the
snouts
soused (kind of a white person’s
chitlins and
sowbelly.)
There are many Hardscrapple (and its variations) roads in various parts of the US, and even a few towns. Interestingly enough, the name has such a negative connotation to poor white folk that some towns changed their names. Examples of this include places like Cherry Hills, KY, formerly known as Hardscrabble, and Centerville, CA (now Fremont.)
Many self-made entrepreneurs often refer to their hardscrapple lives to illustrate the distance their initiative and hard work has taken them.