scamp

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -æmp

Etymology

Old French escamper (“to run away, to make one's escape”)

Noun

scamp (plural scamps)

1. A rascal, swindler, or rogue; a ne'er-do-well.
2. A mischievous person, especially a playful, impish youngster.

   My nephew is a little scamp who likes to leave lighted firecrackers under the lawnchairs of his dozing elders.

   While walking home from the bar, he was set upon by a bunch of scamps who stole his hat.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:troublemaker

Translations

rascal, swindler

• Chinese:

  Mandarin:: 惡棍 (cmn), 恶棍 (cmn) (ègùn), 流氓 (cmn) (liúmáng)

• Finnish: lurjus (fi)

• German: Gauner (de) m
• Japanese: 悪党 (ja) (あくとう, akutō), 悪漢 (ja) (あっかん, akkan)
• Maori: poroteke (mi)
• Russian: негодяй (ru) (negodjáj) m, мерзавец (ru) (merzávec) m, подлец (ru) (podléc) m

mischievous youngster

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 小鬼 (cmn) (xiǎoguǐ)

• Finnish: riiviö (fi)
• German: Schlingel (de) m
• Japanese: 茶目 (ja) (ちゃめ, chame)

• Russian: шалун (ru) (šalún) m, пострелёнок (ru) (postreljónok) m; чертёнок (ru) (čertjónok) m, бесёнок (ru) (besjónok) m, дьяволёнок (ru) (djavoljónok) m

Verb

scamp (third-person singular simple present scamps, present participle scamping, simple past and past participle scamped)

1. (dated) To skimp; to do something in a skimpy or slipshod fashion.
   • 1884, Samuel Smiles, Men of Invention and Industry

     His work was always first-rate. There was no scamping about it. Everything that he did was thoroughly good and honest.

   • 1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 3, Well Tackled!^[1]:

     “They know our boats will stand up to their work,” said Willison, “and that counts for a good deal. A low estimate from us doesn't mean scamped work, but just for that we want to keep the yard busy over a slack time.”

Anagrams

• camps