Allie in Decatur, Alabama, says her mother referred to an impish child as a schnickelfritz. This term for a “young rascal” is often used affectionately and spelled any of several ways, including snicklefritz, snickelfritz, and schnickelfritz. It’s...
Peter from Easton, Pennsylvania, asks about rapscallion, an old-fashioned term for a rascal, scamp, or scoundrel that can also be used affectionately. Although he once thought he had invented it, the word is recorded in English by the 17th century...
goonda tax n. money extorted as ‘protection’ or to permit passage on public thoroughfares, or paid as a simple bribe. Etymological Note: The Hindi and Urdu term goonda can be translated as rascal or ruffian and even as goon, but there is no evidence...
