scalawag

scalawag
scalawag (n.) "disreputable fellow," 1848, American English, originally in trade union jargon, of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of Scottish scallag "farm servant, rustic" (by influence of wag "habitual joker"). An early recorded sense was "undersized or worthless animal" (1854), which suggests an alteration of Scalloway, one of the Shetland Islands, in reference to little Shetland ponies. In U.S. history, used from 1862 of anti-Confederate native white Southerners.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Scalawag — Scal a*wag, n. A scamp; a scapegrace. [Spelt also {scallawag}.] [Slang, U.S.] Bartlett. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Scalawag —   [ skælɪwæg; englisch, eigentlich »Kümmerling«; »Lump«] der, s/ s, in den USA Bezeichnung für die südstaatlichen Parteigänger (Republikaner) des siegreichen Nordens in der Periode der Reconstruction (1865 77); arbeiteten mit Schwarzen und… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • scalawag — ☆ scalawag [skal′ə wag΄, skal′ēwag΄ ] n. [< ?] 1. Informal a scamp; rascal 2. a Southern white who supported the Republicans during the Reconstruction: an opprobrious term used by Southern Democrats …   English World dictionary

  • Scalawag — In the United States, a scalawag was a Southern white who joined the Republican Party in the ex Confederate South during Reconstruction. The term originally was pejorative and meant rascal , but is used descriptively in the 21st century by most… …   Wikipedia

  • Scalawag — Ancien général confédéré, James Alcorn (1816 1894), gouverneur puis sénateur du Mississippi, ami politique de son collègue noir Hiram Rhodes Revels, était un des principaux meneurs des scalawags. Scalawag est un sobriquet péjoratif américain… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Scalawag — Der Begriff scalawag oder auch scallywag war ursprünglich ein Dialektausdruck der amerikanischen Südstaaten für minderwertiges Vieh. Nach der Niederlage der Konföderation im Bürgerkrieg wurden in den Südstaaten weiße Sympathisanten der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Scalawag — El término scalawag se acuñó en los Estados Unidos en el siglo XIX, como una forma peyorativa de denominar a los blancos sureños que se unieron al Partido Republicano, después de la Guerra de Secesión, y que por lo tanto pudieron participar en… …   Wikipedia Español

  • scalawag — var. of SCALLYWAG. * * * scalawag variant of scallywag …   Useful english dictionary

  • scalawag — or scallywag noun Etymology: origin unknown Date: circa 1848 1. scamp, reprobate 2. a white Southerner acting in support of the reconstruction governments after the American Civil War often for private gain …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • scalawag — scalawaggery, n. scalawaggy, adj. /skal euh wag /, n. 1. a scamp; rascal. 2. U.S. Hist. a native white Southerner who collaborated with the occupying forces during Reconstruction, often for personal gain. Also, scallywag; esp. Brit., scallawag.… …   Universalium

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