Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One that is playfully mischievous.
- noun An unscrupulous, dishonest person; a scoundrel.
- adjective Made up of, belonging to, or relating to the lower classes.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The commonalty of people; the vulgar herd; the general mass.
- noun In hunting, a refuse or despicable beast or class of beasts; an animal, or animals collectively, unfit to chase or to kill, on account of ignoble quality or lean condition; especially, a lean deer.
- noun A low or vulgar person; one of the rabble; a boor or churl.
- noun A low or mean fellow; a tricky, dishonest person; a rogue; a knave; a scamp: used in objurgation with much latitude, and often, like
rogue , with slight meaning. Comparerascally . - Paltry; worthless; unworthy of consideration; in a special use, unfit for the chase, as a lean deer: used of things or animals.
- Low; mean; base; common; ignoble; vulgar; knavish: used of persons, formerly with reference to class or occupation, but now only with an implication of moral baseness or dishonesty.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the common herd or common people; low; mean; base.
- noun obsolete One of the rabble; a low, common sort of person or creature; collectively, the rabble; the common herd; also, a lean, ill-conditioned beast, esp. a deer.
- noun A mean, trickish fellow; a base, dishonest person; a rogue; a scoundrel; a trickster.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Someone who is
naughty ; either playfully mischievous or atroublemaker , a dishonest person, ascoundrel . - noun A member of a
criminal gang inPapua New Guinea . - adjective archaic
low (ly), part of or belonging to the commonrabble
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun one who is playfully mischievous
- noun a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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JUST as the Hopkinsons had finished breakfast the following morning, they were surprised by an early visit from Willis, who seemed to be in a state of unusual excitement; and instead of the congratulations they had expected, he burst out with something like an oath, adding, And the rascal is actually gone – went off while the dancing was going on; the police were waiting for him at the station, but I suppose he had good intelligence, for he got into a steamer, and has not been heard of since.
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The rascal is greedy as a Badaw and moreover he is a liar, which the
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So he told him what had befallen him and added, If I know whither the rascal is gone and where to find the knave, I would pay him out.
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| Reply that rascal is fixing me good whenever i look at this picture
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The young rascal is a girl in boy's clothes, sir! said the officer who had the culprit in custody.
The Hidden Hand 1888
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My uncle started at the word rascal; and then recovering himself, replied, "Well, nephew, what is it that you require of Lord Privilege, for I presume this visit is not without a cause?"
Peter Simple; and, The Three Cutters, Vol. 1-2 Frederick Marryat 1820
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My uncle started at the word rascal; and then recovering himself, replied, "Well, nephew what is it that you require of Lord Privilege, for I presume this visit is not without a cause?"
Peter Simple Frederick Marryat 1820
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He could not however bridle his tongue -- he pronounced the word rascal with great emphasis; said he deserved to be hanged more than a highwayman, and wished he had the scourging him.
Joseph Andrews, Volume 2 Henry Fielding 1730
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Rob Anderscal - This "rascal" - as the name implies - is a trouble-maker extraordinaire.
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That is what dignity does for you, you rascal, that is dignity! ...
The Double 2003
Prolagus commented on the word rascal
("All delighted people", by Sufjan Stevens)
March 8, 2011