To scarper

Posted by Masakim October 23, 2001In reply to To scarper posted by Ewie No-Nose on October 23, 2001

Rather than being cockney rhyming slang (Scapa Flow = go), I've always thought this derived from the Italian 'scapare', which means pretty much the same thing.

From Cassell's Dictionary of Slang by Jonathon Green:

scarper/scapali/scarpy v. [mid-19C+] (orig. Ling. Fr./Polari) to escape, to run off (cf. SCAPA FLOW). [Ital. _scappare_, to escape, to get away]

scapa v. [1960s+] to go, esp. to run off. [abbr. SCAPA FLOW]

Scapa Flow v. [1910s+] to go, esp. to run off (cf. SCARPER). [rhy. sl.]

scapper v. [1960s+] (Irish) to go, to run off. [SCAPA FLOW]