scofflaw

noun /ˈskɔfˌlɔ/

1. a criminal or lawbreaker, especially one who is openly contemptuous or dismissive of current laws or displays conspicuous or outward disrespect, distain, or disregard for the law

2. One who habitually violates minor laws or fails to answer trivial court summonses (such as parking tickets).

   'Waddle'y' have?" said the scoffbartender. "A little tea," said the scofflaw.

   The scofflaw entered the scoflsloon. He leaned an elbow on the scoffbar and rested a foot on the scoffrail.

Where it comes from

From scoff + law. Coined simultaneously by Mr Henry Irving Dale and Miss Kate L. Butler for a contest held in Boston in 1923 in which a word for "a lawless drinker of illegally made or illegally obtained liquor" was sought during the Prohibition era.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry scofflaw (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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