spalpeen

[ spal-peen, spal-peen ]

/ spælˈpin, ˈspæl pin /

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noun Irish English.

a lad or boy.

a rascal; scamp.

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

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Origin of spalpeen

1770–80; <Irish spailpín seasonal hired laborer, rude person, scamp, equivalent to spailp spell, bout, turn + -ín noun suffix

Words nearby spalpeen

Spalding, spall, Spallanzani, spallation, spallation product, spalpeen, Spam, spambot, spammie, spamming, span

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use spalpeen in a sentence

I see'd him onc't knock the top-lights out of a murtherin' spalpeen who was afther injurin' yer Honor's reputation.
Barney Blake, The Boy Privateer|Herrick Johnstone
Shure, when that dirty little spalpeen av a Caggs went back on us so, what could Oi do?
The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People Thought of Him|Paul Leicester Ford
Wait out there, like a jewel, till I put the beast away, and then you shall call me spalpeen again.
Kilgorman|Talbot Baines Reed
“Go along away out of that, you blundering spalpeen,” said he, with a cuff on the ear.
Kilgorman|Talbot Baines Reed

Ah, go'long wid ye—ye bloody young spalpeen—ye're no more afraid than I am!
The Southerner|Thomas Dixon

British Dictionary definitions for spalpeen

spalpeen

/ (ˈspælpiːn) /

noun Irish

an itinerant seasonal labourer

a rascal or layabout

Word Origin for spalpeen

C18: from Irish Gaelic spailpín itinerant labourer

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