scalawag

Wikipedia

English

Etymology

Of Irish origin, "scalawag" refers to a "rascal" and is probably from sgalog a labourer.

Alternative forms

• scallawag (archaic)
• scallywag (less archaic spelling)

Noun

scalawag (plural scalawags)

1. (pejorative, US, archaic) Any white Southerner who supported the federal plan of Reconstruction after the Civil War or who joined with the black freedmen and the carpetbaggers in support of Republican Party policies.
2. (pejorative, archaic) A rascal. Alternative spelling of scallywag.

References

• [1]
• Encylcopedia Britanica - scalawag