英文词源
- scot-free
- scot-free: see shot
- scot-free (adj.)
- Old English scotfreo "exempt from royal tax," from scot "royal tax," from Old Norse skot "contribution," literally "a shooting, shot; thing shot, missile," from PIE *skeud- "to shoot, chase, throw" (see shoot (v.); the Old Norse verb form, skjota, has a secondary sense of "transfer to another; pay") + freo (see free (adj.)). First element related to Old English sceotan "to pay, contribute," Dutch schot, German Schoß "tax, contribution." French écot "share" (Old French escot) is from Germanic.
中文词源
scot-free：免于受罚的
像hopscotch（“跳房子”游戏）一样，scot-free 一词在词源上与苏格兰或苏格兰人没有什么联系。其中scot不指苏格兰人，它原指从12世纪至18世纪英国征收的一种税，英语短语scot and lot即指旧时按支付能力征收的居民税，scot-free则是“免付税的”之意，当时人们常用get off scot-free 一语来形容那些逃税的人。scot-free始用于16世纪，以后词义逐渐延伸，如今多表示“免于受罚的”或“未受损害的”、“安然无恙的”等义。过去英国的小酒店常将顾客所欠酒钱用记号标示( scotch)于石板上，scot-free 一词得以使用至今多少归因于这种做法。
该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：scot-free 词源，scot-free 含义。
scot-free：免除征税，免于受罚，逃脱惩罚
来自古英语 scotfreo,免税，免征，来自 scot,征税，上交给国王的税，来自古诺斯语 skot,贡金， 纳贡，字面意思为射出，投出，词源同 shot,shoot,-freo,免除，即 free.引申比喻义免于受罚， 逃脱惩罚等。