From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrascalras‧cal /ˈrɑːskəl $ ˈræs-/ noun [countable] 1 BAD PERSONa child who behaves badly but whom you still like2 old-fashionedBAD PERSON a dishonest man SYN scoundrel
Examples from the Corpus
rascal• Although I loved him dearly, he was a bit of a rascal and liked the drink far too much.• Marian Haughton bought a watercolor of her grandchildren, rascals around a table.• He is not a character I like at all because I think he was just an old rascal.• Yet, in spite of everything, David Miller grew up to idolise the old rascal.• Like his father the rascal, the son has never stopped believing, and he, too, leans into life.• The rascal dropped his bold eyes and slunk away.Origin rascal (1300-1400) Old French rascaille “noisy crowd”