rapscallion

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The Word of the Day for March 19 is:

rapscallion   \rap-SKAL-yun\   noun
     : rascal, ne'er-do-well

Example sentence:
     "The film ["Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the 
Black Pearl"] stars Johnny Depp as the sauntering, dark-eyed 
rapscallion Capt. Jack Sparrow...." (Anthony Breznican, The 
Associated Press, July 9, 2003)

Did you know? 
     The word "rascal" has been part of English since the 15th 
century, but on its own it apparently didn't quite capture the 
roguish nature of the wily knaves of yore. By the 17th century, 
English speakers had modified "rascal" to create "rascallion." 
But it seems that even that term didn't sound quite mischievous 
enough. By the century's end, "rascallion" had been further 
altered to create "rapscallion." Today, "rapscallion" is still 
commonly used as a synonym for "blackguard," "scoundrel," 
and "miscreant." "Rascallion" is still around as well, but it's 
very rare.