scalawag
a scamp; rascal.
U.S. History. a native white Southerner who collaborated with the occupying forces during Reconstruction, often for personal gain.
Origin of scalawag
1- Also scal·ly·wag [skal-ee-wag]; /ˈskæl iˌwæg/; especially British, scal·la·wag .
Other words from scalawag
- scal·a·wag·ger·y, noun
- scal·a·wag·gy, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use scalawag in a sentence
He had the Governor appoint a white sheriff, a young scallawag from the mountains who was a noted moonshiner and desperado.
The Clansman | Thomas DixonShe had almost forgotten her purpose so taken up was she in observing this “scallawag,” as Mrs. Ransford had called him.
The Golden Woman | Ridgwell CullumAnd promptly she set this new phase down to the result of her associations with the young “scallawag” Buck.
The Golden Woman | Ridgwell CullumWhat cleverness the mother and scallawag of an uncle had shown to have kept the child in ignorance all these years!
The Carpet from Bagdad | Harold MacGrathHe seemed to be even deferring to this aged scallawag of a chief, as though he were some one of importance.
The Triumph of John Kars | Ridgwell Cullum
British Dictionary definitions for scalawag
/ (ˈskæləˌwæɡ) /
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
Browse