Meanings
plural scapegallowses · alternative 'scapegallows
- colloquialdatedA criminal who has narrowly escaped from being hanged.
[…] And remember this, 'scapegallows,' said Ralph, menacing him with his hand, 'that if we meet again, and you so much as notice me by one begging gesture, you shall see the inside of a jail once more […]
1838–1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas NicklebySynonyms: crack-hemp, gallows bird
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA criminal who has narrowly escaped from being hanged.
Origin
From scape (archaic for escape) + gallows.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
scapegallows. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scapegallows
“scapegallows.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scapegallows. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scapegallows,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scapegallows.
Source: scapegallows on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.