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Discussion » Questions » Language » Where did the phrase 'Scot free' come from?
Element 99

Where did the phrase 'Scot free' come from?

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Posted - February 27, 2020
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  • 14795
    Some whiley Jock that escaped from his Clink up there in Jockland ....there was no telephones back then and the latest news was spread by the then Town Cryer......hence the expression ....Scot Free ~~~~Scot Free.... :) This post was edited by Nice Jugs at February 27, 2020 7:50 PM MST
      February 27, 2020 1:58 PM MST
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  • 44659
    Your explanation is incomprensible...but funny I am sure.
      February 27, 2020 7:04 PM MST
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  • 14795
    1 ,Whilely means crafty...
    2,Jock means Scotish person....or Sweaty Sock... 
    3,Clink means Prison...
    4,Jockland means Scotland
    5,Town Cryer is a guy in yesteryear that was paid to shout the news as he walked the streets of London...their was most likely more than one as well :) 

    Hope this helps with your essay This post was edited by Nice Jugs at February 28, 2020 10:08 AM MST
      February 27, 2020 7:48 PM MST
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  • 19937

    This phrase is believed to have its origins somewhere in the 12th century, as that’s when a scot was a tax a person would have to pay in England.

    What’s a scot, you ask? Well, according to Robert Hendrickson’s The Facts On File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, a scot “was a municipal tax in 12th-century England.” Hence, if someone were to avoid paying their taxes, they were getting away “scot-free.” Or in other words, they were getting away tax-free. Eventually, this phrase went on to describe, not just the avoidance of taxes, but people who avoided any sort of punishment or precarious situation, slipping away without harm.

    https://knowyourphrase.com/scot-free

      February 27, 2020 2:07 PM MST
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  • My ancestry is Scot free, so seems the logical answer is from a German-Jew.
      February 27, 2020 6:18 PM MST
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