Rogue. What this word can mean, depending on the context

"God sends rascals," they say about people who have two characteristics: a penchant for cheating and some special sign. Not always fraudsters have external signs, which make it possible to distinguish them from decent people. But in those cases when there are distinctive features, the people around are genuinely happy about this opportunity. In addition, in the case of which - a verbal portrait is easier to compose.

So all the same, what kind of rascal, what does this word mean? There is such a plant - kotyk steppe (erigeron canadense), it is also a small Canadian petrel. This is a weed that is spread in the territory of Russia, and with it the workers of the village are ruthlessly fighting. It is also called a shlamak or a rascal.

In addition to botanical sense, there is another, noted in many explanatory dictionaries, in particular Ozhegov and Dahl. It is possible that the etymology in both cases is general. It is permissible to say about the word "rascal" that it is a synonym for the concepts of "rogue", "scammer" and "swindler".

There are many derivatives that express, depending on the intonation, even some good-natured censure, mixed with a great deal of admiration. "Such a rogue!" - they say about a merry-eyed infant who shows vital activity and pleases parents, grandmothers and grandfathers. Of course, such cheerful aggressiveness testifies to the excellent health and normal development of the child, which is the reason for the most positive emotions.

In relation to the female person, the options are "shelmovka" or the diminutive expression of the "shlamovochka", which also does not carry a negative load, but notes some cheery cheating, characteristic of some representatives of the beautiful half of humanity.

More often people mean, speaking about someone "rascal", that this is a person who is trying to deceive others and get benefits at their expense. As a rule, despite various tricks and tricks, any fraud is ultimately exposed. People who extract their daily bread with heavy labor, are extremely intolerant of those wishing to parasitize on them. Here it is difficult to count on good-natured and encouraging notes. They can just beat or go to the police. In general, do not like hardworking scammers looking for easy money.

In the old days, they called card cheaters. If the player's face was covered with scars from wounds, obviously inflicted by candlesticks, this served as a sign that the table was ransacked, that this (if expressed in modern language) was rolled. There was such a good tradition in old Russia to beat scammers with chandeliers and celebrate a rogue for life.

The expression "desecrated by the executioner" is also obsolete. Today, the word "thief" is not burned on the forehead, the criminal code does not provide for this kind of punishment. But about two hundred or three hundred years ago a rogue who was caught red handed could easily get such a lifelong "marking" together with his torn nostrils. We live in a tolerant time. Criminals label themselves with tattoos, and on a voluntary basis.

In the jargon of the underworld, there was a sense of the word "rascal". Its meaning is a woman of easy virtue. Why are so called prostitutes, history is silent. It is possible that thieves thus determine the false essence of corrupt love.