harum-scarum
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Uncertain. Likely from hare (“harass, harry”) 'em (“them”) and scare 'em (“frighten them”);[1][2] alternately the first element may be from hare (“rabbit-like animals”),[3] or the second element may be a variant of stare.[4] Attested from the late 17th century.
Pronunciation
[edit]Adjective
[edit]harum-scarum (not comparable)
- wild, careless, irresponsible
- 1832, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Eugene Aram
- Lester's good heart will be to hear that little Peter is so improved;--no longer a dissolute, harum-scarum fellow, throwing away his money, and always in debt.
- 1832, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Eugene Aram
Translations
[edit]wild, careless, irresponsible
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Adverb
[edit]harum-scarum (not comparable)
- wildly, carelessly, irresponsibly
- 1800, Maria Edgeworth, Castle Rackrent
- […] for he never looked after anything at all, but harum-scarum called for everything as if we were conjurors, or he in a public-house.
- 1800, Maria Edgeworth, Castle Rackrent
Noun
[edit]harum-scarum (plural harum-scarums)
- A giddy, rash person.
References
[edit]- ^ “harum-scarum”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- ^ “harum-scarum”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
- ^ “harum-scarum, adv., adj., n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
- ^ “harum-scarum”, in Collins English Dictionary.
