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rapscallion was our Word of the Day on 01/22/2016. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of rapscallion in a sentence
the city's run-down waterfront was occupied mostly by disreputable places frequented by drunkards and rapscallions
that little rapscallion kept hiding my shoes and making me go look for them
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.
Origin and Etymology of rapscallion
alteration of earlier rascallion, irregular from rascal
First Known Use: 1699
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