Comments on: Scot free http://www.word-detective.com/2009/02/scot-free/ Semper Ubi Sub Ubi Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:32:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: words1 http://www.word-detective.com/2009/02/scot-free/comment-page-1/#comment-2780 words1 Sat, 12 Sep 2009 06:09:55 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/2008/07/27/scot-free/#comment-2780 That's the $20,000 question. Probably because we are pattern-seeking critters and when a particularly apt coincidence pops up we tend to give it extra weight, esp. if it's in our field of expertise. I'm wondering whether pullmans.com is a railroad-related domain. That’s the $20,000 question. Probably because we are pattern-seeking critters and when a particularly apt coincidence pops up we tend to give it extra weight, esp. if it’s in our field of expertise. I’m wondering whether pullmans.com is a railroad-related domain.

]]> By: Yael http://www.word-detective.com/2009/02/scot-free/comment-page-1/#comment-2772 Yael Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:00:31 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/2008/07/27/scot-free/#comment-2772 Bill, have you actually read this article? Your version, nice as the story may be, falls apart completely when you see that there is an example of this phrase from 1740. That's almost 100 years before your Mr. Scott was even born (1823, according to Wikipedia), and MORE than a 100 years before the Pennsylvania Railroad corporation came to be (1846, fron the same handy source). Why DO people stick to convoluted stories even after being presented with a good explanation? Bill, have you actually read this article? Your version, nice as the story may be, falls apart completely when you see that there is an example of this phrase from 1740. That’s almost 100 years before your Mr. Scott was even born (1823, according to Wikipedia), and MORE than a 100 years before the Pennsylvania Railroad corporation came to be (1846, fron the same handy source).

Why DO people stick to convoluted stories even after being presented with a good explanation?

]]> By: Bill http://www.word-detective.com/2009/02/scot-free/comment-page-1/#comment-2735 Bill Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:13:28 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/2008/07/27/scot-free/#comment-2735 According to my information the term was in reference to the political control exercised over the Pennsylvania Legislature by the then worlds largest corporation the Pennsylvania Railroad and its President Thomas A. Scott. Reportedly Mr. Scott had a lobbyist permanently assigned to the Legislature and all Bills had to be reviewed by Scott's man. Some in the legislature preferred to go Scott Free... in other words without influence of Scott and his powerful Pennsylvania Railroad. According to my information the term was in reference to the political control exercised over the Pennsylvania Legislature by the then worlds largest corporation the Pennsylvania Railroad and its President Thomas A. Scott. Reportedly Mr. Scott had a lobbyist permanently assigned to the Legislature and all Bills had to be reviewed by Scott’s man. Some in the legislature preferred to go Scott Free… in other words without influence of Scott and his powerful Pennsylvania Railroad.

]]> By: Marc Naimark http://www.word-detective.com/2009/02/scot-free/comment-page-1/#comment-1114 Marc Naimark Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:01:46 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/2008/07/27/scot-free/#comment-1114 Aha! And here is the connection to a fairly rare word in French: "écot". Most of those "éc-" and "ét-" words have an English equivalent with "sch-"/"sc-" and "st-"... An "écot" is the share a person owes in a common expense. "Payer son écot" means to pay ones fair share. Aha! And here is the connection to a fairly rare word in French: “écot”. Most of those “éc-” and “ét-” words have an English equivalent with “sch-”/”sc-” and “st-”…

An “écot” is the share a person owes in a common expense. “Payer son écot” means to pay ones fair share.

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