chenapan

rascal; scoundrel

noun shuh-nah-PAHN Rare

Origin: German Schnapphahn 'highway robber', literally 'snap-rooster'.

Usage Note

Chenapan is a mildly reproachful, often affectionate term for a mischievous child or petty rogue — similar in tone to English 'little rascal'. It is dated and literary in modern French, appearing more often in 19th-century novels or in fond scolding of children. The plural is chenapans.

Examples

"Ces chenapans ont encore volé des pommes."

Natural Translation

Those rascals stole apples again.

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