scarper
Preserved but no longer current.
To run away; Spanish, ESCAPAR, to escape, make off; Italian, SCAPPARE. "SCARPER with the feeley of the donna of the carzey," to run away with the daughter of the landlady of the house; almost pure Italian, "SCAPPARE COLLA FIGLIA DELLA DONNA DELLA CASA."—Seven Dials and Prison Cant, from the Lingua Franca.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “scarper” mean?
To run away; Spanish, ESCAPAR, to escape, make off; Italian, SCAPPARE. "SCARPER with the feeley of the donna of the carzey," to run away with the daughter of the landlady of the house; almost pure Italian, "SCAPPARE COLLA FIGLIA DELLA DONNA DELLA CASA."—Seven Dials and Prison Cant, from the Lingua Franca.
Is “scarper” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.