Word for 'lunatic'

[Leanne Riding]

I haven't seen that that word in any other dictionary or text of the
northwest, except in Hibben's dictionary. However it does sound
familiar. I think it's British street slang that he picked up in
Victoria. Thomas N. Hibben was an American, so the word "Scotty" might
have puzzled him as much as it puzzles us.

Take a look at this sentence I just "googled" up: "Have the scotty
boffins at the British Venusian Society cocked up a killer of a
conspiracy?" (As for what Google says about "boffin," this is an
enthusiast with strong geek overtones.)

Google also brought up the sad information that "Scotty" is code for
"crack high." Maybe the term "Scotty" could also mean "intoxicated" in
Hibben's day.

On Thursday, June 10, 2004, at 10:22 , David Robertson wrote:

> I'm looking at a 1931 reprint of Hibben's dictionary.  It's got a word
> for "lunatic" that's spelled _scotty_.  Now, I could go looking
> through a
> bunch of Salish dictionaries for its source (that's my first guess about
> its origin).  But I want to stir up a discussion and benefit from other
> folks' knowledge.  Anyone here have an idea where this word came from?
> Ever seen it in a text?
>
> --Dave R.
>
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