larrikins

Noun

larrikin (plural larrikins)

1. (Australia, New Zealand, historical, slang) A young, brash, and impertinent, and possibly violent, troublemaker, especially one who is a gang member; a hooligan.
   • To keep me out of trouble I was sent to the wood-gang Cascade an out station about two miles from headquarters. On arriving at this place the following dialogue passed between me and the overseer: […] "A bit of a larrikin, T——, but it won't do here, you know." "No odds about that—what's the work?"1867 October 14 (date written), “The autobiography of a convict”, in The Empire, number 4,964, Sydney, N.S.W.: Samuel Bennett, published 16 October 1867, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 6, column 2

   Synonyms:

   larry, lary

2. (Australia, broadly, slang) A high-spirited person who playfully rebels against authority and conventional norms; a maverick or scamp.
   • On all occasions Captain Smith's military character was good, though he was always a bit of a larrikin, and had a way of practical joking.1881 August 18 (date delivered), [William Lodewyk] Crowther, “House of Assembly. Thursday, August 18. [The Volunteer Commission.]”, in The Tasmanian, volume X, number 34, Launceston, Tas.: [A]t the...

   Synonyms:

   eccentric, free spirit, heteroclite, deviant, deviate, individualist, maverick, misfit, nonconformist, offbeat

See all 4 meanings of larrikin