"boffin" invades America

[Ronald Butters]

I had never seen this word used in America. The Raleigh News and Observer used it in a story published today (about a proposed nonstop HJetBlue flight from the local airport, RDU, to Austin,  Texas): "...The Texas university town would likely be a destination for Triangle boffins, or scientific experts. ..."

M-W has:

bof·fin noun \ˈbä-fəən\
Definition of BOFFIN
chiefly British : a scientific expert; especially : one involved
in technological research
Examples of BOFFIN
Our boffins finally broke the enemy's code!
Origin of BOFFIN
origin unknown
First Known Use: 1945
Browse

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org