1675. Wycherley, Country Wife, v., 4. Well, Harry Common, I hope you can be true to three.
Harry-soph, subs. (Cambridge Univ.: obsolete).—See quots.
1795. Gent. Mag., p. 20. A Harry, or errant Soph, I understand to be either a person, four-and-twenty years of age, and of an infirm state of health, who is permitted to dine with the fellows, and to wear a plain, black, full-sleeved gown: or, else, he is one who, having kept all the terms, by statute required previous to his law-act, is hoc ipso facto entitled to wear the same garment, and, thenceforth, ranks as bachelor, by courtesy.
1803. Gradus ad Cantabrigiam. Harry Soph; or Henry Sophister; students who have kept all the terms required for a law act, and hence are ranked as Bachelors of Law by courtesy. They wear a plain, black, full-sleeved gown.
Harum-scarum, adj. and subs. (old colloquial).—1. Giddy; careless; wild; a thoughtless or reckless fellow.
1740. Round about our Coal Fire, c. i. Peg would scuttle about to make a toast for John, while Tom run harum scarum to draw a jug of ale for Margery.
1780 Mad. D’Arblay, Diary, i., 358 [ed. 1842]. He seemed a mighty rattling harem-scarem gentleman.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Harum Scarum, he was running harum scarum, said of any one running or walking carelessly and in a hurry, after they know not what.
1836. Marryat, Japhet, ch. xcii. I’m not one of those harum-scarum sort, who would make up a fight when there’s no occasion for it.
1855. Thackeray, Newcomes, ch. v. They had a quarrel with Thomas Newcome’s own son, a harum-scarum lad, who ran away, and then was sent to India.