Definition of SCOFFLAW

scofflaw

Plural: scofflaws

Noun

  • An habitual law violator, especially of minor offenses.
  • one who habitually ignores the law and does not answer court summonses
  • One who habitually violates minor laws or fails to answer trivial court summonses (such as parking tickets).

Examples

  • The notorious SCOFFLAW often played made-up words, hoping to slip them past his opponents.

Origin / Etymology

From 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.

Scrabble Score: 19

scofflaw: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
scofflaw: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
scofflaw: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 21

scofflaw: valid Words With Friends Word