Word of the Day

: January 9, 2011

rapscallion

noun rap-SKAL-yun

What It Means

: rascal, ne’er-do-well

rapscallion in Context

The rapscallions who hung around the deserted parking lot at night were nothing but trouble.

"Being evil is serious business, and business is goooood for Gru. He's a feared and loathed rapscallion of the highest degree who's been responsible for some of the greatest heists in recent history." -- From a movie review of Despicable Me by Melissa Bobbitt in Creators Syndicate, July 8, 2010

Did You Know?

The word "rascal" has been part of English since the 15th century, but on its own it apparently didn’t quite capture the disagreeable nature of the wily knaves of yore. By the 17th century, English speakers had modified "rascal" to create "rascallion." But it seems that even that term didn’t sound quite mischievous enough. By the century’s end, "rascallion" had been further altered to create "rapscallion." Today, "rapscallion" is still commonly used as a synonym for "blackguard," "scoundrel," and "miscreant." "Rascallion" is still around as well, but it’s very rare.