larrikin

What it means

1. 1.

   A mischievous, irreverent person who disregards convention — and is liked for it. Almost always a compliment in modern Australian use.

In use

• He's a bit of a larrikin, but he's harmless.

• That larrikin streak runs right through the culture.

Where it comes from

In the 19th century a larrikin was a street hooligan and the word was straightforwardly hostile. Its softening into an affectionate national self-image is one of the clearer examples of a culture rewriting its own vocabulary.

First attested: 1860s