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Scaramouch, properly a buffoon, used later colloquially for a ne'er-do-well.
The name was that of a stock character in 17th-century Italian farce, Scaramuccia (i.e. literally "skirmish"), who, attired usually in a black Spanish dress, burlesquing a don, was beaten by Harlequin for his boasting and cowardice.
The part was played in London in 1673 by a well-known Italian actor, Tiberic Fiurelli, and became popular. There are many instances of the use of the word in the New English Dictionary.
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.
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