Scofflaw
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Scofflaw is a noun coined during the Prohibition era meaning a person who drinks illegally. It is a compound of the words scoff and law, meaning one who mocks or ridicules the law. The meaning has since been extended to describe one who flouts any law, especially those which are difficult to enforce, and particularly traffic laws.
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Etymology
"Scofflaw" was the winning entry of a nationwide competition sponsored by the Boston Herald in the year 1924. The word was submitted by two separate entrants, Henry Irving Dale and Kate L. Butler, who split the $200 prize equally. The term scofflaw was deemed the best and most suitable out of over 25,000 entries.[1] 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" is the name of the 99th episode of Seinfeld.
The second part of the three part documentary Prohibition is titled A Nation of Scofflaws and documents the origin and use of the word.[1]
A New York Times investigation into the ship Dona Liberta is titled Stowaways and Crimes Aboard a Scofflaw Ship.[2]
Telly Savalas was convicted of littering in the 1970s and the epithet scofflaw was often applied.[citation needed]
