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Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Peck's bad boy

"unruly or mischievous child," 1883, from fictional character created by George Wilbur Peck (1840-1916).

Wikipedia
Peck's Bad Boy (1934 film)

Peck's Bad Boy is a 1934 American drama film directed by Edward F. Cline. It was based on the series of books by George W. Peck.

Peck's Bad Boy

Henry "Hennery" Peck, popularly known as Peck's Bad Boy, is a fictional character created by George Wilbur Peck (1840–1916). First appearing in the 1883 novel Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa, the Bad Boy has appeared in numerous print, stage, and film adaptations. The character is portrayed as a mischievous prankster, and the phrase "Peck's bad boy" has entered the language to refer to anyone whose mischievous or bad behavior leads to annoyance or embarrassment. Described as "a vicious little swaggerer" and "no more than a callous brute", Hennery's antics were more mean spirited than earlier boyhood characters like Huckleberry Finn, and modern criticism views the violence and racism in the original stories as objectionable or politically incorrect. __NOTOC__

Usage examples of "peck's bad boy".

Several other theaters followed, huge signs advertising current performances: Fedora, Peck's Bad Boy, The Darkness to the North, Kit, the Arkansas Traveler.