scalawag
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈskæl.əˌwæɡ/
- Slur
:
traidor
- Just as our ancestors had to fight the carpetbaggers and scalawags, the Greeks are also facing an imposing force on their people.
Examples
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Boone was also correct in his belief that in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, as in the late 1860s and early 1870s, some southern whites (whom he branded scalawags) were eager to ally themselves with the objectives of the North.
Academic text (2011) -
"The scalawags have perhaps made many millions by the sale of their slanders to the reading public."
Academic text (2011) -
Did I ever tell you the story about that scalawag, George Shepherd?
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The scalawags were just not interested.
Academic text (2011) -
I thought you were gonna say something about scalawags.
Blog text (8) -
State governments were dominated by the hated Republican coalition of carpetbaggers, scalawags, and blacks.
Academic text (2017) -
The real scalawags in this here capital of the brave and free are us—you and me.
Academic text (1995) -
During the Reconstruction era, many viewed the scalawag as a traitor to Southern values.
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Some local scalawags took advantage of the political turmoil to gain wealth and influence.
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In her book, she describes how scalawags navigated the complex social landscape of post-Civil War America.
Compounds
Surface Forms
Etymology
Scalawag came into American use after the Civil War as a harsh name for white Southerners who worked with Northern politicians during Reconstruction. It probably comes from older slang scallywag, meaning 'rascal' or 'scoundrel', so the word was used to show they were seen as untrustworthy or acting for their own gain.