scallywag

English

Alternative forms

• scalawag
• scalliwag

Etymology

Unknown.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈskælɪwæɡ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

scallywag (plural scallywags)

1. (derogatory, dated, chiefly UK) A disreputable fellow, a good-for-nothing, a scapegrace, a blackguard
2. (informal, chiefly UK) A badly behaved person, especially a child; a mischief-maker; a rascal
   • 2009, Michela Wrong, It’s Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle Blower:

     But Maore, a cheerful scallywag with a taste for the limelight, was made of more daring stuff.

Derived terms

• scally

References

• Scallywag at Oxford English Dictionary
• scallywag at Oxford Leaner's Dictionaries