Why “rampallian” is a great word
A mean wretch; a low, good-for-nothing scoundrel. Of uncertain origin, first attested in the late 16th century, notably in Shakespeare's *Henry IV, Part 2* (c. 1597). Unlike "knave," which suggests deceitful cunning, or "vagabond," which merely denotes a rootless wanderer, "rampallian" brands a profound and contemptible worthlessness. It is the scullion with hands wet from the slops bucket, the informer lurking at the tavern door, the debtor who has sold his mother's ring for gin money—a word that catches the particular stink of a man who carries his degradation not as misfortune but as his sole profession.