Dictionary

scapegrace en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈskeɪpɡɹeɪs/ (UK)

Etymology

From scape (“(archaic) escape”) + grace (“grace of god”).

Meanings

1. A wild and reckless person (especially a boy); a scoundrel.
   • An infantry officer in the trenches, Graves wrote of his rocky and scapegrace return to civilian life: "I still had the Army Habit of commandeering anything of uncertain ownership that I found lying about; also a difficulty in telling the truth--it was always easier for me now, when charged with any fault, to lie my way out in Army style." 2002, Jonathan Shay, Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming:
   • He is now laden with that superabundant energy which makes a fool of a man, and a scapegrace of a boy, and he wants to work it off. 1859, George Meredith, chapter 4, in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel. A History of Father and Son. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC:

Forms

Synonyms

black sheep · rogue · rascal