What's this? Scotch mist?

Posted by Gary Martin on September 08, 2008 at 13:26

In Reply to: What's this? Scotch mist? posted by Claire on September 08, 2008 at 13:18:

: Anyone heard the phrase, "what's this? Scotch mist?" before? A colleague says it's from Scotland and I disagree, surely the Scottish would simply call it mist! Anyone?

Eric Partridge, in A Dictionary of Slang, says it is an RAF coinage. I can't find an earlier usage than 1940.

The Scots prefer, these days at least, to reserve the word scotch for the drink and, apart from that, prefer Scots or Scottish to things or people from Scotland. Whether that preference dates back to the 1940s I'm not sure.

• What's this? Scotch mist? Victoria S Dennis 08/September/08
  • What's this? Scotch mist? RRC 09/September/08