scofflaw

English

Etymology

scoff +‎ law. Coined simultaneously by Mr Henry Irving Dale and Miss Kate L. Butler for a contest held in Boston in 1923 in which a word for "a lawless drinker of illegally made or illegally obtained liquor" was sought during the Prohibition era.[1]

Pronunciation
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈskɔfˌlɔ/, /ˈskɒfˌlɔ/
  • Hyphenation: scoff‧law

Noun

scofflaw (plural scofflaws)

  1. One who habitually violates minor laws or fails to answer trivial court summonses (such as parking tickets).

References
  1. Quinion, Michael, World Wide Words, http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-sco2.htm
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