Scaramouch

American  

[skar-uh-mouch, -moosh] / ˈskær əˌmaʊtʃ, -ˌmuʃ /

Or Scaramouche

noun

1. a stock character in commedia dell'arte and farce who is a cowardly braggart, easily beaten and frightened.

2. (lowercase) a rascal or scamp.

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Scaramouch British  

/ -ˌmuːtʃ, ˈskærəˌmaʊtʃ /

noun

1. a stock character who appears as a boastful coward in commedia dell'arte and farce

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Etymology

Origin of Scaramouch

First recorded in 1662; from French Scaramouche, from Italian Scaramuccia, proper noun use of scaramuccia “skirmish” (applied in jest); see origin at skirmish ( def. )

Example Sentences

On his return to the metropolis the old humour broke out at the representation of the inimitable Scaramouch of the Italian theatre.

From Literary Character of Men of Genius Drawn from Their Own Feelings and Confessions by Disraeli, Isaac

Fiorelli, Tiberio of Naples, the famous Scaramouch, i.

From The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the First by Gozzi, Carlo

Scaramouch is the necromancer's man, and the comic scenes, although the stage tricks are old, prove very good pantomime.

From The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume III by Summers, Montague

Scaramouch is a common character in Italian farce, originally meant in ridicule of the Spanish don, and therefore dressed in Spanish costume.

From Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook, Vol. 3 by Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham

Our Scaramouch is one of the numerous forms of the Captain, which obtained great popularity at Paris.

From The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the First by Gozzi, Carlo