I was skimming through Laureen Beukes' novel Zoo City (having already read it once), and at some point my eyes fell on the following sentence on the 2nd page:
Leaving the Mongoose to scrolf at its flank, I duck under one of the loops of rope hanging from the ceiling [...] and pad over the rotten linoleum to the cupboard.
I have no idea if this could be some South African idiom; though such words are usually highlighted/footnoted in the book – this one is not.
Flea bites have previously been mentioned, so my current interpretation is that it probably means something along the lines of sticking one's nose into one's fur to get rid of irritations.
But then again, it might just refer to the sound produced during the aforementioned act (dog owners will know what I'm talking about), or it could even just mean sitting restlessly or something like that.
All sorts of clarifying information are welcome.