Are you a knave? Scalawag? A varlet? Are you a scoundrel? Maybe you’re not but secretly you want to be. Being a scoundrel kind of has a ring to it. It’s romantic. Rebellious.
We needed a working definition of the word “scoundrel”. For that, we headed to lexicographer Erin McKean. She’s the founder and CEO of the online dictionary Wordnik. She was also the Principal Editor of The New Oxford American Dictionary. Steve Paulson sat down with her.
We might not have the perfect definition of the word “scoundrel” but we can certainly agree on one thing – Civil War General and US Congressman Daniel Sickles was the epitome of a scoundrel.
“Scoundrel” is such an old-fashioned word. I mean, who uses it anymore? Aren’t there any scoundrels today? We looked no further then the world of political opposition research.
Where are the female scalawags? The lady rogue? Well, Anne Strainchamps set out to find out. She called up Elizabeth Mahon, author of the blog and the book of the same name: “Scandalous Women.”
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