rapscallion
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of rapscallion
1690–1700; earlier rascallion, based on rascal
Explanation
A rapscallion is a mischievous jokester. Instead of getting angry when he realizes his shoelaces have been tied together, your grandfather might say, "Which of you rapscallions is responsible for this?" Rapscallion is an old fashioned word for scamp or scoundrel. It's most often used in a lighthearted way: "Some rapscallion seems to have replaced the cream in my Oreo with toothpaste — then again, it is April Fools Day!" Rapscallion, first used in the 1600s, was originally rascallion, a fancier version of rascal, which comes from the Old French rascaille, "rabble or mob."
Vocabulary lists containing rapscallion
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Wayne State Word Warriors Words to Rescue, 2014-2015 Edition
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The Miseducation of Cameron Post
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Snoop Dogg, the rap rapscallion who puts the OG in Olympic Games, plopped down on a couch in the NBC green room and muted the TV.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2026
He developed a reputation as a rapscallion, less interested in school than drawing, the guitar and rowdy misadventures into New York.
From New York Times ● Sep. 22, 2022
Cumming plays the top-hatted mayor, Chenowith is a sour Bible-thumper, Trevit is a rapscallion carnival worker and Martin Short has a cameo as a leprechaun.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2021
What, then, to make of Moondog, the rapscallion played by Matthew McConaughey, in “The Beach Bum”? You’ve got to love Moondog—or, rather, you haven’t got to, but somehow he sucks the love toward him.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 29, 2019
“Do you know what a rapscallion is?” she asked, waving at the waitress to bring her another drink.
From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
