perp
n.— «The owners of good dogs pay and the question now remains how to secure the revenue from the perps that are always under foot, always at the heels of horses, always digging up plants in the park and forever howling and scrapping at night.» —“Who Wants To Be Dog Catcher For City” Oxnard Courier (California) Sept. 2, 1910. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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