Scotch a rumour

Posted by James Briggs on June 17, 2010 at 10:54

In Reply to: Scotch a rumour posted by Keith Coulman on June 17, 2010 at 08:48:

: What is the origin of the verb "to scotch" as in " to scotch a rumour"?

Scotch: To Scotch a rumour is to expose a rumour. Scotch here has nothing to do with Scotland, but rather the old French word "escocher" - to cut.