Scofflaw is a

noun A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for: * Living creatures (including people, alive, d ...

coined during the

Prohibition era Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...

which originally denoted a person who drinks illegally, or otherwise ignored anti-drinking laws. It is a compound of the words '' scoff'' and ''

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

''. Its use has been extended to mean one who flouts any law, especially those difficult to enforce, and particularly traffic laws.

Etymology

"Scofflaw" was the winning entry of a nationwide competition to create a new word for "the lawless drinker," with a prize of $200 in gold, sponsored by Delcevare King, a banker and enthusiastic supporter of Prohibition, in 1923. Two separate entrants, Henry Irving Dale and Kate L. Butler, submitted the word, and split the $200 prize equally. ''Scofflaw'' was deemed the best and most suitable out of over 25,000 entries. The word was from the outset frequently used until the eventual repeal of Prohibition in 1933. It experienced a revival in the 1950s, as a term for anyone who displays disdain for laws difficult to enforce. The word itself remains a symbol of the Prohibition era.

Use

The Scofflaw "The Scofflaw" is the 99th episode of the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. It was the 13th episode for the sixth season. It aired on January 26, 1995. In this episode, George Costanza, George and Jerry Seinfeld (character), Jerry both pretend to not know t ...

" is the name of the 99th episode of

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

. The second part of the three-part documentary ''

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

'' is titled ''A Nation of Scofflaws'' and documents the origin and use of the word. A New York Times investigation into the ship Dona Liberta is titled ''Stowaways and Crimes Aboard a Scofflaw Ship''. It was later incorporated into chapter four of ''

The Outlaw Ocean ''The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier'' (also published as ''The Outlaw Ocean: Crime and Survival in the Last Untamed Frontier'') is a 2019 book by Ian Urbina about crime and extralegal activity in international waters. T ...

'' (2019), by

Ian Urbina Ian Urbina (born March 29, 1972) is an American investigative reporter who has written for a variety of outlets, including ''The New York Times'' and ''The Atlantic''. Urbina is the author of The New York Times Best Seller list, ''The New York T ...

as ''The Scofflaw Fleet''. Concerns raised about derelict and scofflaw vessels in Vancouver's False Creek.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Scofflaw at Online Etymology Dictionary
1920s neologisms 1924 establishments in the United States American English words Prohibition in the United States