scofflaw

scofflaw
scofflaw 1924, from SCOFF (Cf. scoff) (q.v.) + LAW (Cf. law). The winning entry in a national contest during Prohibition to coin a word to characterize a person who drinks illegally, chosen from more than 25,000 entries; the $200 winning prize was split between two contestants who sent in the word separately, Henry Irving Dale and Miss Kate L. Butler. Other similar attempts did not stick, Cf. pitilacker (1926), winning entry in Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals contest to establish a scolding word for one who is cruel to animals (submitted by Mrs. M. McIlvaine Bready of Mickleton, N.J.).

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • scofflaw — index delinquent Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • scofflaw — ☆ scofflaw [skäf′lô΄ ] n. [ SCOFF1 + LAW] Informal a habitual or flagrant violator of laws, esp. traffic or liquor laws …   English World dictionary

  • scofflaw — [20] Aside from proprietary names and some scientific terms, it is rare for words that are pure human inventions (rather than naturally evolved forms) to make a permanent place for themselves in the English language, but scofflaw is a case in… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • scofflaw — UK [ˈskɒfˌlɔː] / US [ˈskɑfˌlɔ] noun [countable] Word forms scofflaw : singular scofflaw plural scofflaws American mainly journalism someone who does not obey laws …   English dictionary

  • scofflaw — [20] Aside from proprietary names and some scientific terms, it is rare for words that are pure human inventions (rather than naturally evolved forms) to make a permanent place for themselves in the English language, but scofflaw is a case in… …   Word origins

  • scofflaw — noun Date: 1924 a contemptuous law violator …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • scofflaw — /skawf law , skof /, n. 1. a person who flouts the law, esp. one who fails to pay fines owed. 2. a person who flouts rules, conventions, or accepted practices. [1920 25; SCOFF1 + LAW1] * * * …   Universalium

  • scofflaw — noun a) One who habitually violates minor laws or fails to answer trivial court summonses (such as parking tickets.) b) An iconoclast …   Wiktionary

  • scofflaw — Synonyms and related words: Judas, betrayer, convict, criminal, crook, deceiver, desperado, desperate criminal, double dealer, felon, fugitive, gallows bird, gangster, gaolbird, jailbird, lawbreaker, mobster, outlaw, public enemy, quisling,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • scofflaw — scoff|law [ skaf,lɔ ] noun count AMERICAN MAINLY JOURNALISM someone who does not obey laws …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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