scalawag
noun
Also a form of scallywag
Forms scalawags scallawag scalliwag scallywag skalawag
- noun (derogatory) A disreputable fellow, a good-for-nothing, a scapegrace, a blackguard.
- noun (informal) A badly behaved person, especially a child; a mischief-maker; a rascal.
- noun (derogatory, archaic) A scrawny cow.
- noun (derogatory, US, archaic or historical) Any white Southerner who supported the federal plan of Reconstruction after the American Civil War or who joined with the black freedmen and the carpetbaggers in support of Republican Party policies.
- noun (Philippines, law enforcement, military) rogue police; rogue military personnel
Synonyms
scallywag rogue knave rascal rapscallion varlet imp scamp monkey
Etymology
Of obscure origin, perhaps from the name of the Shetland village of Scalloway (from Old Norse Skálavágr), known for its dwarf ponies and dwarf cattle.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A scamp; a scapegrace. [Spelt also scallawag.] [Slang, U.S.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “scalawag”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details