scot-free

WOTD – 8 September 2010    

English

Alternative forms

• scotfree
• scott free

Etymology

From Old English scotfreo (“exempt from royal tax”), See scot + free

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˌskɒtˈfri/
• (US) IPA: /ˌskɑtˈfri/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adverb

scot-free (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Free of scot, free of tax.
2. (colloquial) Without consequences or penalties.

   to get off scot-free (to get away without penalty; to beat the rap)

Translations

free of scot; free of tax

• Finnish: veroton (fi)
• French: dégrevé (fr), détaxé (fr)

• Russian: (somewhat) беспошлинно (ru) (bespošlinno)
• Spanish: desgravado (es),

without consequences or penalties

• Finnish: rangaistuksetta (fi)
• French: en douce (fr), ni vu ni connu (fr)
• Icelandic: (unharmed) öskaddaður (is) m, (unharmed) ómeiddur (is) m, (without accidents) slysalaust (is), (free) ókeypis (is), (get off scot-free) sleppa með skrekkinn (is)

• Russian: безнаказанно (ru) (beznakazanno)