Meaning

noun a white Southerner who supported Reconstruction policies after the American Civil War (usually for self-interest)

noun a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel

noun one who is playfully mischievous

originOf obscure origin, perhaps from the name of the Shetland village of Scalloway (from Old Norse Skálavágr), known for its dwarf ponies and dwarf cattle.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0