Learn English – Is “scopperloit” a real word

is-it-a-wordword-usage

Bysshe, Bysshe, Bysshe! What are we going to do about you? I hope
you'll pardon this mesonoxian and inaniloquent lamprophony from a
nihilarian pronk; it is not so much a phenakist scopperloit as it is a
finnimbrun, an infinite floccinaucinihilipilification (The Guardian)

I found it, as comment, in The Guardian. After a lot of efforts to decipher its meaning, I encountered some hard trouble problem in searching for "scopperloit."

In Google "define scopperloit" does not produce serious hits.

Can anybody explain the meaning of "scopperloit"?

Best Answer

Yes, it’s a “real word”, whatever that is supposed to mean. The OED says it is dialectal, rather than obsolete. Per the OED, scopperloit is play that is romping, rude, indelicate in nature. It seems to correspond to words like horseplay or roughhousing in contemporary English.

ˈscopperloit. dial.

Also 7 skoppoloit, -lot.

Etymology: Of obscure origin: cf. scobberlotcher and scoterlope v.

(See quots.)

  • 1691 Ray S. & E.C. Wds. 111 ― A Scopperloit, a time of idleness, a play-time.
  • 1787 in Grose Prov. Gloss.
  • 1878 S. H. Miller & Skertchly Fenland iv. 131 ― Skoppolot, Skoppoloit, romping, rude, indelicate play.