verb

scarper

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Scarper (verb) means Chiefly in scarper the letty: to depart quickly or run away from (a place); to flee.

verb

Chiefly in scarper the letty: to depart quickly or run away from (a place); to flee.

(informal) To leave in a hurry, running away.

"Just then a pair of guards on the beat came into view. The tramps scarpered, the street-traders pushing prams scarpered, half of Dublin scarpered as if they all had something to hide." — Ardal O’Hanlon (1998)

"Pedro Porro was a pantomime villain on the night in the eyes of both home and visiting fans – more of that later – slipping on a patch of wet turf to allow Andy Robertson to steal in and scarper to the byline." — Graeme McGarry, Scott McTominay earns place in history as Scotland stun Spain (2023)

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C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

C2 · Advanced serendipity Fortunate discoveries made entirely by accident.

Gen Z slang rizz Charm — the ability to attract a romantic interest.

B2 · Intermediate empathy The capacity to share another person’s feelings.

C1 · Advanced nonchalant Casually calm and relaxed; unconcerned.

Internet slang delulu Delusional — believing something against the odds.

Etymology nostalgia Greek nostos “return home” + algos “pain”.

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Etymology

The verb is probably borrowed from Italian scappare ("to run away, escape, flee"), which came from Vulgar Latin *excappāre ("to escape"). This in turn was formed from Latin ex- (a prefix meaning 'away; out') plus cappa ("(Late Latin) cape, cloak (usually with a hood); (Medieval Latin) cap; headwear" — further etymology uncertain, probably ultimately from caput ("head"), from dialectal Proto-Indo-European *káput ("head")), plus -āre (the present active infinitive of -ō, a suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs). Around World War I (1914–1918), the English word was also shaped by the Cockney rhyming slang term Scapa Flow ("to go"). It is a doublet of escape and scape. The noun comes from the verb.

Synonyms

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run lam bunk escape scat

Related words

go play run course control series miss running

Rhymes for scarper

harper sharper

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Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of scarper?

"scarper" (verb) means chiefly in scarper the letty: to depart quickly or run away from (a place); to flee.

What is another word for scarper?

Other words for "scarper" include run, lam, bunk, escape, scat.

What are the different meanings of scarper?

"scarper" has 2 main meanings: 1. Chiefly in scarper the letty: to depart quickly or run away from (a place); to flee; 2. (informal) To leave in a hurry, running away.

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