scallywag
Americannoun
noun
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informal a scamp; rascal
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(after the US Civil War) a White Southerner who supported the Republican Party and its policy of Black emancipation. Scallywags were viewed as traitors by their fellow Southerners
Etymology
Origin of scallywag
C19: (originally undersized animal) of uncertain origin
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.
“He was very mischievous, a real scallywag, but such great fun, we miss him everyday”, she said.
From BBC
“I suppose I should go and break my fast before Cook gives away my portion to that scallywag son of hers, Leo!”
From Literature
“You’ll do nothing of the sort! You young scallywag, I could give you a ten-second start and still beat you to the top of the wall! D’you want to try me?”
From Literature
“Little scallywags. And where were they after all?”
From Literature
And now at Center Theatre, another gang of scallywags is on the rampage in Book-It Repertory Theatre’s faithful, fiery and heartily entertaining new version of the prototypical pirate yarn, Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.”
From Seattle Times
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.