Word of the Day

: October 23, 2008

scofflaw

noun SKAHFF-law

What It Means

: a contemptuous law violator

scofflaw in Context

The governor’s office set up a database listing the names of scofflaws who hadn’t paid their traffic fines.

Did You Know?

In 1924, a wealthy Massachusetts Prohibitionist named Delcevare King sponsored a contest in which he asked participants to coin an appropriate word to mean “a lawless drinker.” King sought a word that would cast violators of Prohibition laws in a light of shame. Two respondents came up independently with the winning word: “scofflaw,” formed by combining the verb “scoff” and the noun “law.” Henry Dale and Kate Butler, also of Massachusetts, split King’s $200 prize. Improbably, despite some early scoffing from language critics, “scofflaw” managed to pick up steam in English and expand to a meaning that went beyond its Prohibition roots, referring to one who violates any law, not just laws related to drinking.