scampish

A scampish boy hides a frog in his teacher's desk drawer.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Mischievous or roguish in a playful, often endearing way: "scampish" describes someone, especially a child, who is naughty or sly in a lighthearted, harmless manner, suggesting a tendency to cause mild trouble or deception without serious intent.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The little boy had a scampish grin as he hid his sister's toys. (His mischievous smile indicated playful naughtiness.)
  • Her scampish behavior at the party involved hiding the host’s keys for a joke. (Her roguish actions were playful and not malicious.)

Advanced Usage

• "scampish look": a facial expression that suggests playful mischief or slyness.

  • He gave her a scampish look before sneaking the last cookie. (His expression was roguish and teasing.)

• "scampish trick": a deceitful or mischievous act done in a playful spirit.

  • Playing a scampish trick on the teacher, the student swapped the chalk for a rubber band. (The trick was harmless and amusing.)

Variants and Related Words

• Scamp (noun): a person, often a child, who is mischievous or roguish.

  • That little scamp hid my shoes again! (That mischievous child hid my shoes.)

• Scampishness (noun): the quality of being scampish; playful mischievousness.

  • His scampishness made him popular among friends, but annoying to adults. (His roguish nature.)

Synonyms

• Roguish: playfully mischievous or dishonest.
• Impish: inclined to cause minor trouble in a playful way.
• Mischievous: causing or inclined to cause minor annoyance or harm in a playful manner.

Related Idioms

• Up to no good: engaging in playful or minor mischief (often used for scampish behavior).

  • When the children are quiet, they are usually up to no good in a scampish way. (They are being mischievous.)

• A scamp of a child: a phrase emphasizing a child's roguish nature.

  • He is a scamp of a child, always playing pranks. (He is a mischievous child.)