properly a buffoon, used later colloquially for a ne'er-do-well. The name was that of a stock character in 17th-century Italian farce, Scaramuccia (i.e. literally "skirmish"), who, attired usually in a black Spanish dress, burlesquing a "don," was beaten by Harlequin for his boasting and cowardice. The part was played in London in 1673 by a well-known Italian actor, Tiberic Fiurelli, and became popular. There are many instances of the use of the word in the New English Dictionary.