Scottish verdict

[Paul Frank]

I heard someone refer to the "Scotch verdict" on the Beeb today - also
known as the "Scottish verdict" or "Scots verdict," i.e. a verdict of
"not proven." It's a term I've heard dozens of times over the past 30
years. In Scotland (I used to have a Scottish girlfriend; she dumped
me) some people call it the "bastard verdict."

Now that I have a new hobby (for which read obsession), to wit,
fooling-around-with-the-online-OED-when-I-ought-to-be-working-which-is-what-I-actually-get-paid-for,
I see that the OED lists neither "Scotch verdict" nor "Scottish
verdict" nor "bastard verdict." I want my money back. Just kidding.
How do you guys ever get any work done with the OED only a click away?
But,  wait, I forgot that fooling around with the OED is what you get
paid for.

Or is Scotch verdict in the OED and I'm just too dumb to find it?

Paul

Paul Frank
Translator
Chinese, German, French, Italian > English
Espace de l'Europe 16
Neuchâtel, Switzerland
paulfrank at bfs.admin.ch
paulfrank at post.harvard.edu

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