scalawag

[ skal-uh-wag ]

/ ˈskæl əˌwæg /

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noun

a scamp; rascal.

U.S. History. a native white Southerner who collaborated with the occupying forces during Reconstruction, often for personal gain.

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Also scal·ly·wag

[skal-ee-wag]; /ˈskæl iˌwæg/; especially British, scal·la·wag .

Origin of scalawag

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; origin uncertain

OTHER WORDS FROM scalawag

scal·a·wag·ger·y, nounscal·a·wag·gy, adjective

Words nearby scalawag

scalar product, scalar triple product, scalation, scala tympani, scala vestibuli, scalawag, scald, scald-crow, scaldfish, scale, scale back

How to use scalawag in a sentence

Eddie Haskell Santorum is supposed to get the evangelical vote what with his Christian-right backing, not the scalawag Newt.
Marianne Gingrich Interview Casts Doubts on Newt’s New Image|Margaret Carlson|January 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
When I got back to the house, I felt for my handkerchief, and found that scalawag's roll o' bills, which I'd clean forgot.
Si Klegg, Book 2 (of 6)|John McElroy
Some one without money to try to enlist my sympathies in helping some scalawag out of trouble.
By Force of Impulse|Harry V. Vogt
After the war, when he had turned scalawag, he was taken to task for the speech.
Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama|Walter L. Fleming

The scalawag, being a renegade, was scorned more than a carpet-bagger.
Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama|Walter L. Fleming
I'd like to give her a line on that handsome scalawag—before it's too late.
Fore!|Charles Emmett Van Loan

British Dictionary definitions for scalawag

scalawag

/ (ˈskæləˌwæɡ) /

noun

a variant of scallywag

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

scalawag

Origin of scalawag

OTHER WORDS FROM scalawag

Words nearby scalawag

Words related to scalawag

How to use scalawag in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scalawag