scarper
Part of speech: verb
noun
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: The verb is probably borrowed from Italian scappare (“to run away, escape, flee”), from Vulgar Latin *excappāre (“to escape”), from Latin ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + 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”)) + -āre (the present active infinitive of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). Around World War I (1914–1918), the English word was influenced by the Cockney rhyming slang term Scapa Flow (“to go”). Doublet of escape and scape.
The noun is derived from the verb.
Inflected forms:
form: scarpers
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: scarpering
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: scarpered
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: scarpered
pos: verb
tags: past
form: scarpers
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: Chiefly in scarper the letty: to depart quickly or run away from (a place); to flee.
pos: verb
tags: UK
dated
slang
transitive
examples: We were in debt with the landlady, and Joe and I had decided that none of us should be allowed to "scarper the letty," which means to sneak out of the lodgings without paying. The good lady might have to wait for her money—that was obvious—but we were stuck in Manchester until we could pay and get enough together to take us to a fresh district.
jean: We can't all spend our time nailing our suitcases to the floor, and shin out of the window. / archie: Scarper the letty.
gloss: To depart quickly; to escape, to flee, to run away.
pos: verb
tags: UK
intransitive
slang
examples: A horse takes fright and "scarpers," or runs away.
"Dowse the glims!" said he. Out went the lights, as he continued, "That sneak Whiskers have just blown the gaff to old Slow-Coach, and he'll be here in two two's to give you beans—so scarper, laddies—scarper!" Suiting the action to the word, he "scarpered" through the window into the garden, […]
Now then, boys, scarpa!
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.
[Sarah] Helm writes: 'As if she were some street criminal, ready to scarper, Ruth [Turner]'s home was swooped upon by [Assistant Commissioner John] Yates's men and she was forced to dress in the presence of a female police officer. Then there was a tip-off to the press.'
[John] Colvin attracted the man's attention, then stuck his arm through the barred gate and handed the startled gardener the missive from London, scarpering before the amazed man could do anything about it.
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.
gloss: Chiefly in do a scarper: an act of departing quickly or running away; an escape, a flight.
pos: noun
tags: UK
slang
examples: As a matter of fact we were all pritty flabergasted, for although we had all planned to do a scarper none of us realy thought we would have the guts to do it.
Related words: scamper
Derived words: scarper the letty
Translations: