Scot-Free
/ˌskɒt ˈfriː/noun
Free from punishment, burden, or obligation.
Did you know?The first element, scot, is an Old English word for a tax, payment, or contribution—so the phrase began as a legal idea about escaping your dues, not a mystical escape from guilt.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skutōną / *skotą
“a payment, contribution, or tax”
Old English
OE
scot
“a tax, levy, or share of a payment”
Middle English
ME
scot
“a tax or assessment; in phrases meaning exempt from payment”
Late Middle English
ME
scot-free
“free from payment or liability”
Modern English
English
scot-free
“escaping punishment or consequence without harm”