Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a rogue, a rascal.

c.1735		Swift ‘A Dialogue in Hibernian Stile’ in Crowley Politics of Lang. in Ireland (2000) 112: I have seen him often riding on a sougawn. In short he is no better than a spawlpeen, a perfect Monaghan.
1754		T. Sheridan Brave Irishman I ii: He took no more notice of me than if I was one of the spalpeens below.
1767		‘Andrew Barton’ Disappointment I ii: Give us none of your gum, you spawlpeen of perdition!
1789		Both Sides of the Gutter part II 11: Bad luck to them spalpeens from de country!
1793		Sporting Mag. Sept. II 333/1: I would have [...] brought a spalpeen from Newmarket, no higher than a twopenny loaf, that should (by Jasus!) have driven his lordship’s horse and jockey into the furzes.
c.1805		‘Patrick O’Neal’ in Jovial Songster 137: I had scarce set a foot in the terrible place, / Before a spalpeen came and star’d in my face.
1819		‘Paddy’s Trip From Dublin’ in A Garland of New Songs (16) 5: A Spalpean he wanted to play me a trick.
1824		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 19 Sept. 269/1: ‘[T]he interference of such a long spalpeen as you’.
1827		N.-Y. Eve. Post 15 Aug. 2/4: Mr. M’Ewen advised her to apologise to the Magistrate. Woman. You d—n spalpeen, and who are you. Mag. Madam, you must give security, or I will commit you. Woman. The devil a bit will I give.
1830		J.B. Skillman N.Y. Police Reports 48: Paddy. What do you mane you spalpeen ? Dirck. Schpalpeen — what de divel is dat ? Ha !
1834		Marryat Peter Simple (1911) 87: Haven’t they seized my two cows to pay for your toggery, you spalpeen?
1841		‘A New Chapter On Wants’ Dublin Comic Songster 166: A hungry man wanting a meal, / In a cook shop is only a spalpeen.
1846		D. Corcoran Picking from N.O. Picayune 118: Doesn’t he look like a spalpeen that wouldn’t meet a man in a dacint stand-up fight [...] but one that ’ud be afther takin’ a dirty advantage.
1846		Bell’s Life in Sydney 21 Mar. 2/5: Hub, bubboo, boderation, bad luck to the knot of ye, ye dirty spalpeens.
1848		G.W.M. Reynolds Mysteries of London II (2nd series) 154: And bar-r-ring my breeches, ye spalpeen!
1854		Delhi Sketch Bk 1 July 82/1: Wid that the spalpeen sets to a laughin’ right out wid his mouth open.
1857		Venus’ Miscellany (NY) 31 Jan. n.p.: ‘None o’ that, ye dirty spalpeen’.
1859		W. Kelly Life in Victoria I 54: May the devil purshoe yes out o’ the daycent colony, you spalpeens ye.
c.1865		‘Artemus Ward’ ‘A Mayoralty Election’ 🌐 Well yez crowd a poor Jarman till death, yer d—d spalpanes, yez?
1868		C. White The Hop of Fashion in Darkey Drama 4 Act II: Out of that, you spalpeen.
1873		J. O’Connor Wanderings of a Vagabond 281: Settle up the game, ye spalpeen, an’ give to each man what belongs to him.
1874		‘Old Calabar’ Won in a Canter I 70: ‘He considers himself the favoured one — the consated spalpeen’.
1879		H. Hartigan Stray Leaves (2nd ser.) 87: ‘[H]ear the spalpeen; bad luck to ye, av ye wer worth the batin’—I’d bate you, so l wud’.
1879		C.J. Kickham Knocknagow 150: ‘Praties’ would be laughed at as a vulgarism only worthy of a spalpeen from Kerry.
1883		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 3 Nov. 4/2: ‘And yous, you dirty spalpeen, you’ll bay [pay] for ruinin’ a poor girl’.
1884		Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday 14 June 50/2: [caption] Av I was to call ye a dirty spalpeen [...] what would I git?
1885		J.S. Borlase Blue Cap, the Bushranger 4/2: Let the spalpeen go his way.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 11 Apr. 18/2: Money order official: ‘But I can’t give you the money unless you tell me whom it’s from.’ / She (surrendering at discretion): ‘There, read the whole letther, ye curious spalpeen, if that’s what ye want.’.
1891		Sporting Times 10 Jan. 1/5: Parly voo frongsay, ye misherable shpalpeen.
1895		‘Banjo’ Paterson ‘A Bush Christening’ in Man from Snowy River (1902) 167: Poke a stick up the log, give the spalpeen a prog.
1896		‘Novice’s Picture’ in Cabinet of Venus 109: Why, every spalbeen knowns that.
1904		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 20 July 3/5: ‘[Y]e lazy spalpeen— sorra the day I iwer bore yez’.
1906		C. M’Govern Sarjint Larry an’ Frinds 48: Winters – de daredevil spalpeen dat he was.
1911		G. Bronson-Howard Enemy to Society 84: George le Fay’s French father would have referred to him as an artiste; his Irish mother as a ‘wicked spalpeen’.
1920		Marvel 26 June 20: Now then, you spalpeen, take the ’fluence off!
1931		A. Bennett Teresa of Watling Street 210: The spalpeen doesn’t deserve God’s goodness.
1938		X. Herbert Capricornia (1939) 201: I’m doin’ the work I’m paid to do, and that’s take care of these poor spalpeens.
1946		Norfolk News 3 Jan. 2/6: Arrah! ye dirty spalpeen! would ye pretend to know better than The Doctor?
1948		R. Park Harp in South 82: ‘Great splaw-footed spalpeen, I’ll send it [i.e. a potato] clean through his brisket’.
1950		L. O’Flaherty Insurrection 244: This penniless spalpeen that I found wandering about the streets.
1960		A. Burgess Doctor Is Sick (1972) 79: If ye’re wanting the spalpeen at all, ye’ll know where to be finding him.
1968		J. Healy Death of an Irish Town 9: We aren’t spalpeens anymore, mate, aren’t we statistics, men who avail of ‘outward social mobility’.
1981		G. Johnston Fish Factory 16: How dare you! Spalpeen!
1992		R. Park Fence Around the Cuckoo 90: A fladdy-faced spalpeen, I was called, and a tom todger, and a bold little crab.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1754		T. Sheridan Brave Irishman I ii: If I catches any of these spalpeen brats keeping a goon [...] I’ll have ’em shot.
1786		J. O’Keeffe Wicklow Mountains 13: You spalpeen cur!
1833		Ely’s Hawk & Buzzard (NY) Sept. 21 n.p.: That spalpeen, starling-mouth looking Charley.