scratchitti

[Mark A Mandel]

I saw this word in a local newsgroup, phl.transportation ("getting
around in the Philadelphia region"). Google found only about 32 hits.
But, not to my surprise, it has already been recorded on this list, by
(of course) Barry Popik, on Jan. 24, 2000, in
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0001D&L=ads-l&P=R1218
        >>>

    More of a continuing series checking "coined the
word/phrase/expression" on the Dow Jones publications database.  The
coinage assertions may or may not be correct.

        [...]

10-18-98, NEWSDAY, pg. G2-- The TA has ceded part of its turf to the
idiots who scratch their idle thoughts on the subway car windows.  I
(Dennis Duggan--ed.) coined a word for that years ago when these
window-obscuring doodles first appeared: scratchiti.

        <<<

Barry's find has a single "t". Most of the Google hits spell it with
double "t", "scratchitti", matching the popular misspelling of
"graffiti". I wonder if it's influenced by "spaghetti"?

Google advanced search, filtering for English pages only:
        graffiti        764,000
        graffitti        53,400
        grafitti         38,100
        grafiti           6,880

-- Mark A. Mandel