scalawag

== English == === Alternative forms === scallawag, scalliwag, scallywag, skalawag === Etymology === Of obscure origin, perhaps from the name of the Shetland village of Scalloway (from Old Norse Skálavágr), known for its dwarf ponies and dwarf cattle. === Noun === scalawag (plural scalawags) (derogatory) A disreputable fellow, a good-for-nothing, a scapegrace, a blackguard. (informal) A badly behaved person, especially a child; a mischief-maker; a rascal. (derogatory, archaic) A scrawny cow. (derogatory, US, archaic or historical) Any white Southerner who supported the federal plan of Reconstruction after the American Civil War or who joined with the black freedmen and the carpetbaggers in support of Republican Party policies. (Philippines, law enforcement, military) rogue police; rogue military personnel ==== Derived terms ==== === References === “scalawag”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. Encyclopædia Britannica - scalawag