rogue

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

rogue, n. [F. rogue proud, haughty, supercilious; cf. Icel. hrkr a rook, croaker (cf. Rook a bird), or Armor. rok, rog, proud, arogant.].

•  A vagrant; an idle, sturdy beggar; a vagabond; a tramp.  [1913 Webster]

  " The phrase rogues and vagabonds is applied to a large class of wandering, disorderly, or dissolute persons. They were formerly punished by being whipped and having the gristle of the right ear bored with a hot iron."  [1913 Webster]
•  A deliberately dishonest person; a knave; a cheat.  [1913 Webster]

  "The rogue and fool by fits is fair and wise."  [1913 Webster]
•  One who is pleasantly mischievous or frolicsome; hence, often used as a term of endearment.  [1913 Webster]

  "Ah, you sweet little rogue, you!"  [1913 Webster]
•  An elephant that has separated from a herd and roams about alone, in which state it is very savage.  [1913 Webster]
•  A worthless plant occuring among seedlings of some choice variety.  [1913 Webster]

Rogues' gallery, a collection of portraits of rogues or criminals, for the use of the police authorities. -- Rogue's march, derisive music performed in driving away a person under popular indignation or official sentence, as when a soldier is drummed out of a regiment. -- Rogue's yarn, yarn of a different twist and color from the rest, inserted into the cordage of the British navy, to identify it if stolen, or for the purpose of tracing the maker in case of defect. Different makers are required to use yarns of different colors.

rogue, v. i. 

 To wander; to play the vagabond; to play knavish tricks.  Spenser.  [1913 Webster]

rogue, v. t. 

•  To give the name or designation of rogue to; to decry.  Cudworth.  [1913 Webster]
•  To destroy (plants that do not come up to a required standard).  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

rogue, n. & v.
--n.
1 a dishonest or unprincipled person.
2 joc. a mischievous person, esp. a child.
3 (usu. attrib.) a a wild animal driven away or living apart from the herd and of fierce temper (rogue elephant). b a stray, irresponsible, or undisciplined person or thing (rogue trader).
4 an inferior or defective specimen among many acceptable ones.
--v.tr. remove rogues (sense 4 of n.) from.

Idiom

rogues' gallery a collection of photographs of known criminals etc., used for identification of suspects.

Etymology

16th-c. cant word: orig. unkn.

THESAURUS

rogue

SOB, bad boy, balker, balky horse, bastard, blackguard, blighter, booger, bounder, buffoon, bugger, bum, cad, charlatan, cheat, churl, contumacious, creep, crock, cross-grained, crowbait, cur, cutup, dastard, devil, disobedient, dog, elf, enfant terrible, fractious, funmaker, garron, goat, good-for-nothing, hack, headstrong, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, imp, incorrigible, independent, intractable, jade, joker, jokester, jughead, knave, lawless, little devil, little monkey, little rascal, louse, minx, mischief, mischief-maker, miscreant, mountebank, nag, pixie, plug, practical joker, prankster, precious rascal, puck, rampageous, rapscallion, rascal, rat, recalcitrant, refractory, roarer, rosinante, rotter, rowdy, ruffian, scalawag, scamp, scapegrace, scoundrel, self-willed, shyster, sneak, spalpeen, stiff, stinker, strong-willed, swindler, trickster, uncontrollable, undisciplined, ungovernable, unmanageable, unpredictable, unrestrained, unruly, villain, wag, wastrel, whistler, wild, wretch

ROGET THESAURUS

rogue

Knave

N knave, rogue, Scapin, rascal, Lazarillo de Tormes, bad man, blackguard, barrater, barrator, shyster, traitor, betrayer, archtraitor, conspirator, Judas, Catiline, reptile, serpent, snake in the grass, wolf in sheep's clothing, sneak, Jerry Sneak, squealer, tell-tale, mischief-maker, trimmer, fence-sitter, renegade, truant, recreant, sycophant.

Bad Man

N bad man, wrongdoer, worker of iniquity, evildoer, sinner, the wicked, bad example, villain, rascal, scoundrel, miscreant, budmash, caitiff, wretch, reptile, viper, serpent, cockatrice, basilisk, urchin, tiger, monster, devil, devil incarnate, demon in human shape, Nana Sahib, hellhound, hellcat, rakehell, bad woman, jade, Jezebel, scamp, scapegrace, rip, runagate, ne'er-do-well, reprobate, scalawag, scallawag, rou_e, rake, Sadist, skeesicks, skeezix, limb, one who has sold himself to the devil, fallen angel, ame damnee, vaurien, mauvais sujet, loose fish, sad dog, rounder, lost sheep, black sheep, castaway, recreant, defaulter, prodigal, rough, rowdy, hooligan, tough, ugly customer, mean mother, ruffian, bully, meanie, Jonathan Wild, hangman, incendiary, arsonist, fire bug, thief, murderer, terrorist, culprit, delinquent, crook, hoodlum, hood, criminal, thug, malefactor, offender, perpetrator, perp, disorderly person, misdemeanant, outlaw, scofflaw, vandal, felon, (convicted criminal), criminal, convict, prisoner, inmate, jail bird, ticket of leave man, multiple offender, blackguard, polisson, loafer, sneak, rapscallion, rascallion, cullion, mean wretch, varlet, kern, ame-de-boue, drole, cur, dog, hound, whelp, mongrel, lown, loon, runnion, outcast, vagabond, rogue, ronian, scum of the earth, riffraff, Arcades ambo, Int, sirrah!, Acherontis pabulum, gibier de potence.

Deceiver

N deceiver &c (deceive), dissembler, hypocrite, sophist, Pharisee, Jesuit, Mawworm, Pecksniff, Joseph Surface, Tartufe, Janus, serpent, snake in the grass, cockatrice, Judas, wolf in sheep's clothing, jilt, shuffler, stool pigeon, liar &c (lie), story-teller, perjurer, false witness, menteur a triple etage, Scapin, bunko steerer, carpetbagger, capper, faker, fraud, four flusher, horse coper, ringer, spieler, straw bidder, imposter, pretender, soi-disant, humbug, adventurer, Cagliostro, Fernam Mendez Pinto, ass in lion's skin, actor, quack, charlatan, mountebank, saltimbanco, saltimbanque, empiric, quacksalver, medicaster, Rosicrucian, gypsy, man of straw, conjuror, juggler, trickster, prestidigitator, jockey, crimp, decoy, decoy duck, rogue, knave, cheat, swindler, jobber, saint abroad and a devil at home.