The AI-powered English dictionary
plural scamps
A rascal, swindler, or rogue; a ne'er-do-well. quotations examples
"He is a scamp, he is and it isn't difficult to find his tracks and signs of his reckless shooting, for he can never wait, like other folks, till the birds have had a good start at their play."
1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 77
A mischievous person, especially a playful, impish youngster. quotations examples
Prince Harry idolized Diana more and understood her less. He would always be her baby, a scamp who was “thick” at his lessons and “naughty, just like me.” His emotions, like hers, were always simmering near the surface.adapted from the book The Palace Papers, published 2022 by Penguin Books
April 5 2022, Tina Brown, “How Princess Diana’s Dance With the Media Impacted William and Harry”, in Vanity Fair
third-person singular simple present scamps, present participle scamping, simple past and past participle scamped
(dated) To skimp; to do something in a skimpy or slipshod fashion. quotations examples
His work was always first-rate. There was no scamping about it. Everything that he did was thoroughly good and honest.
1884, Samuel Smiles, Men of Invention and Industry
“They know our boats will stand up to their work,” said Willison, “and that counts for a good deal. A low estimate from us doesn't mean scamped work, but just for that we want to keep the yard busy over a slack time.”
1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 3, in Well Tackled!
(advertising) A preliminary design sketch. quotations examples
It did not matter that the scamp (simple illustrative line-drawing) it contained could have been done in the pub the night before.
2007, Adrian Mackay, Practice of Advertising, page 124
From the scamps, the creative idea can be developed more fully into a proposal for an actual ad. This needs to be clear enough to present to the client.
2009, FCS: Advertising & Promotions L4, page 25