Scarper
Posted by Robert Benoist on February 17, 2005
It is interesting to see that the origin of "Scarper" meaning "to go" is still shown as cockney rhyming slang following "Scapa Flow".
Scapa Flow was a Royal Naval base established in the 20th Century and famous for the scuttling of the German fleet in 1919 and a subsequent WW2 battle. Before 1919 it is doubtful whether anyone in the country let alone cockneys would have heard of it.
In Mayhew's London Labour and the London Poor (vol 3 1851) there is a chapter on "Punch Talk" (basically the slang language used by travelling Italian Punch and Judy men and entertainers). This slang contains both English,Italian, jewish and traveller roots. In Punch Talk "To get away quickly" e.g. from the police or authority is spoken and written as scarper. This comes from the Italian (E)scappare. "Punch Talk" is an important source of modern slang and was in part the basis for polari.
It is probable that after 1919 it was imagined that the word had originated in the rhyming slang after Scapa Flow but I think the evidence firmly points to its Italian Origins. Some encyclopedias follow this argument without citing the use of the expression prior to 1851 in Mayhew. Mayhew's complete London Labour and London Poor can be found at Perseus Digital Library at the Tuft's University web site.
- Scarper Gary Martin 17/February/05
- Polari? Bob 17/February/05
- Polarised Lewis 17/February/05
- Polarised Robert Benoist 18/February/05
- Polarised David FG 17/February/05
- Correction Lewis 17/February/05
- Correction Gary 17/February/05
- Correction Lewis 17/February/05
- Polarised Robert Benoist 17/February/05
- You cant be serious! a Q. Lewis 17/February/05
- You cant be serious! a Q. Robert Benoist 17/February/05
- Little Britain Lewis 17/February/05
- Little Britain David FG 17/February/05
- Fascinatin' Bob 17/February/05
- Fascinatin' David FG 18/February/05
- Cord-wangling scrotes The King of Gruntmania 18/February/05
- Scarper James Briggs 18/February/05
- Cord-wangling scrotes The King of Gruntmania 18/February/05
- Fascinatin' David FG 18/February/05
- Fascinatin' Bob 17/February/05
- Little Britain David FG 17/February/05
- Little Britain Lewis 17/February/05
- You cant be serious! a Q. Robert Benoist 17/February/05
- You cant be serious! a Q. Lewis 17/February/05
- Polarised Lewis 17/February/05
- Polari? Bob 17/February/05
- Scarper Lewis the Homey 17/February/05