scofflaw

scofflaw
/skawf"law', skof"-/, n.
1. a person who flouts the law, esp. one who fails to pay fines owed.
2. a person who flouts rules, conventions, or accepted practices.
[1920-25; SCOFF1 + LAW1]

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • scofflaw — index delinquent Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • scofflaw — 1924, from SCOFF (Cf. scoff) (q.v.) + LAW (Cf. law). The winning entry in a national contest during Prohibition to coin a word to characterize a person who drinks illegally, chosen from more than 25,000 entries; the $200 winning prize was split… …   Etymology dictionary

  • scofflaw — ☆ scofflaw [skäf′lô΄ ] n. [ SCOFF1 + LAW] Informal a habitual or flagrant violator of laws, esp. traffic or liquor laws …   English World dictionary

  • scofflaw — [20] Aside from proprietary names and some scientific terms, it is rare for words that are pure human inventions (rather than naturally evolved forms) to make a permanent place for themselves in the English language, but scofflaw is a case in… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • scofflaw — UK [ˈskɒfˌlɔː] / US [ˈskɑfˌlɔ] noun [countable] Word forms scofflaw : singular scofflaw plural scofflaws American mainly journalism someone who does not obey laws …   English dictionary

  • scofflaw — [20] Aside from proprietary names and some scientific terms, it is rare for words that are pure human inventions (rather than naturally evolved forms) to make a permanent place for themselves in the English language, but scofflaw is a case in… …   Word origins

  • scofflaw — noun Date: 1924 a contemptuous law violator …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • scofflaw — noun a) One who habitually violates minor laws or fails to answer trivial court summonses (such as parking tickets.) b) An iconoclast …   Wiktionary

  • scofflaw — Synonyms and related words: Judas, betrayer, convict, criminal, crook, deceiver, desperado, desperate criminal, double dealer, felon, fugitive, gallows bird, gangster, gaolbird, jailbird, lawbreaker, mobster, outlaw, public enemy, quisling,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • scofflaw — scoff|law [ skaf,lɔ ] noun count AMERICAN MAINLY JOURNALISM someone who does not obey laws …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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