Scarlet Lancers (The). See Red Lancers.
Scarlet-runner, subs. phr. (old).—1.
A Bow-street officer; a
Robin-redbreast (q.v.). [They
wore scarlet waistcoats.]
2. (common).—A footman.
Scarlet-town, subs. phr. (provincial).—Reading
[Berks.]
Scarlet-woman, subs. phr. (religious).—The
Church of Rome.
Scarper, verb. (showmen's).—To
run away: see Skedaddle.
1844. Selby, London by Night, ii. 1. Vamoose—scarper—fly!
Scat, verb. (common).—Begone!
1880. Harris, Uncle Remus, xxii. W'en ole man Rabbit say 'scoot,' dey scooted, en w'en ole Miss Rabbit say 'scat,' dey scatted.
1892. Nat. Observer, 20 Aug., 356, 1. There is a village somewhere West of Devonshire whose inhabitants are universally called ' Scat-ups.' For . . . once at a volunteer review they could be induced to 'dismiss' only by an impassioned cry of 'Scat up!'
1896. Lillard, Poker Stories, 210. We chucked him two watches and 380 dollars in cash quicker'n scat.
Scate, subs. (provincial).—A light-heels
(Halliwell).
Verb. (provincial).—To be loose in the bowels (Halliwell).
Scatteration, subs. (American).—A
commotion; a dispersal.
Hence scatterationist = a
politician running his personal
fads without reference to either
party or public.
1878. N. A. Rev., cxxvi. 244. Some well-directed shots . . . sent wagons flying in the air, and produced a scatteration.
1888. Boldrewood, Robbery Under Arms, xiii. I did see one explode at a review in Melbourne—and, my word! what a scatteration it made.
Scatterbrain, subs. (colloquial).—An
unreasoning ass; scatter-brained = giddy.
1849. Kingsley, Alton Locke, xii. A certain scatter-brained Irish lad.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, I. ii. A . . . tearful scatter-brained girl.
d. 1884. C. Reade, Art, 23. Poor Alexander, he is a fool, a scatterbrain . . . but he is my son.
Scattergood, subs. (old).—A spendthrift.
1577. Kendall, Epigrammes, 56. A mery jest of a scattergood.
1653. Sanders, Physiognomie. Which intimates a man to act the consumption of his own fortunes, to be a scatter-good; if of honey colour or red, he is a drunkard and a glutton.
Scatter-gun, subs. phr. (American).—A
shot-gun.
Scatterling, subs. (old colloquial).—A
vagabond.
d. 1599. Spenser, State of Ireland [Century]. Many of them be such losells and scatterlings as that they cannot easely . . . be gotten.
Scavenger's-daughter, subs.
phr. (old).—An instrument of
torture invented by Sir W.
Skevington, Lieutenant of the
Tower of London, temp. Hen.
VIII.: see quot. 1889.
1580. Dia. Rerum gestarum in Turri Londiniensi, 10 Dec. Thomas Cotamus et Lucas Kirbæus presbyteri, Scavingeri filiam ad unam horum et amplius passi; ex quo prior copiosum sanguinem e naribus emisit.
1604. Commons Journal, 14 May. [The Committee] found in Little Ease in the Tower an engine of torture . . . called Skevington's daughters.
1840. Ainsworth, Tower of Lonaon, xxiii. We will wed you to the Scavenger's Daughter, my little man.
