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blighter

American  
[blahy-ter] / ˈblaɪ tər /

noun

British Slang.
  1. a contemptible, worthless person, especially a man; scoundrel or rascal.

  2. a chap; bloke.


blighter British  
/ ˈblaɪtə /

noun

  1. a fellow

    where's the blighter gone?

  2. a despicable or irritating person or thing

"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

Etymology

Origin of blighter

First recorded in 1815–25; blight + -er 1

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.

The Observer's Rachel Cooke found The Master a tricky blighter, while opinion on the Guardian Film Show was by no means unanimous.

From The Guardian • Nov. 8, 2012

To which one might say: "Oh stop putting up with it, Kate, and if you ever get the chance, jilt the arrogant blighter."

From The Guardian • Aug. 28, 2010

He took one Test wicket as an 18-year-old, WM Wallace of New Zealand, who succumbed to the not so bald, young blighter at Old Trafford in 1949.

From The Guardian • Aug. 27, 2010

Two years ago he denounced his arch right-wing rival Hugh Gaitskell as a "desiccated calculating machine," and vowed, "I'll fight the blighter year after year if necessary."

From Time Magazine Archive

Right from the beginning, he was a poor, scrawny little blighter, always weeping during his first week in the dormitory because he wasn’t at home with his mommy and daddy anymore.

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin