Only thing I can think of is animal, not a common usage of "scale" though.

I think it works, but it's ambiguous. It could equally well be LAMINA by taking the clue the other way.

Nice to see you back [Blob]. This game's lost a bit of momentum, what with you being temporarily frozen out - and rab peregrinating all over the place. Anyway, I left a clue a while back - which doesn't appear to have been solved. I think it's disappeared off the top.

[Chalky] I'm not sure ever been accused of that before... I hope it's legal.

[rab] Great word, eh? One could imagine Kenneth Williams squeezing every last sinewy syllable out of it - much like the way he uttered his favourite word 'proclivities'.