scalawag

scal·a·wag

noun \ˈska-li-ˌwag\

Definition of SCALAWAG

1

: scamp, reprobate

2

: a white Southerner acting in support of the reconstruction governments after the American Civil War often for private gain

Variants of SCALAWAG

scal·a·wag or scal·ly·wag \ˈska-li-ˌwag\

Examples of SCALAWAG

1. <a scalawag who had taken to begging on street corners while posing as a blind person>

Origin of SCALAWAG

origin unknown

First Known Use: circa 1848

Related to SCALAWAG

Synonyms

baddie (or baddy), beast, brute, caitiff, devil, evildoer, fiend, heavy, hound, knave, meanie (also meany), miscreant, monster, nazi, no-good, rapscallion, rascal, reprobate, rogue, savage, villain (or scallywag), scamp, scapegrace, scoundrel, varlet, wretch

Related Words

villainess; blackguard; criminal, crook, culprit, felon, lawbreaker, malefactor, offender, perp, perpetrator, transgressor; sinner, trespasser, wrongdoer; cad, heel, serpent, snake, viper; bandit, bravo, desperado, outlaw; con, convict, jailbird; assassin, cutthroat, gangster, goon, gunman, hoodlum, hooligan, racketeer, ruffian, thug; rough, rowdy, tough; loser, lowlife, ne'er-do-well, stinker, trash

Near Antonyms

angel, innocent, saint; hero

Other History Terms

agonistic, carpetbagger, enceinte, fief, historiography, paladin

Rhymes with SCALAWAG

barracks bag, basic slag, body bag, bullyrag, carpetbag, ditty bag, duffel bag, garment bag, heavy bag, litterbag, lollygag, saddlebag, shopping bag, shoulder bag, sleeping bag, tucker-bag, water bag

scalawag

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

U.S. Southerner who supported Reconstruction. Opponents also applied the pejorative term to those who joined with carpetbaggers and freedmen to support Republican Party policies. The term, of unknown origin, was used from the 1840s to denote a worthless farm animal and later a worthless person. Scalawags included former Whigs and hill-country farmers with Unionist sympathies and constituted nearly 20% of the white electorate after the American Civil War. Many held government positions in the South and advocated moderate reforms.