Great Scott
Encyclopedia
Great Scott! is an exclamation of surprise, amazement, or dismay.
A likely source is as a reference to American Civil War
commander‑in‑chief
of the U.S. Army, General Winfield Scott
. The general, known to his troops as Old Fuss and Feathers, weighed 300 pounds (21 stone or 136 kg) in his later years and was too fat to ride a horse. A May 1861 edition of the New York Times included the sentence:
In an 1871 issue of the Galaxy, the expression itself is quoted:
The phrase also appears in the 3 May 1864 diary entry by Private Robert Knox Sneden
(later published as Eye of the Storm: a Civil War Odyssey):
Another possible origin is an anglicized corruption of an expression used by the German Albert, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria, transforming "Grüss Gott" ("Greet God") into "Great Scott". The etymologist and author John Ciardi
once believed this, but later recanted in a radio broadcast in 1985.
Similarly, the expression could be a minced oath
, derived from the English phrase "[by the] grace of God".
Another possible source comes from Mark Twain's
hate for Sir Walter Scott and his writing, which popularized historical fiction and romanticized war in general. Twain's disdain for Scott is evident in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
, in which the main character repeatedly utters "great Scott" as an oath, and in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, where he names a sinking boat the Walter Scott.
uses the phrase extensively in his books, including Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Following the Equator
, and others.
The exclamation can be found in the works of C.S. Lewis, used by Digory Kirke
in The Magician's Nephew
, and by Peter in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
, and also appearing in his Space Trilogy
.
Dr. Watson habitually uses the expression in the Rathbone-Bruce Sherlock Holmes films
made between 1939 and 1946.
As an inoffensive expression, the phrase "Great Scott" came to be commonly used in superhero
comic books for children during the mid 20th century; Superman
uses the expression frequently in this era. It is similarly used by Birdman, a Hanna-Barbera cartoon superhero, as well as by Superman and Batman
in the Super Friends
animated series.
In Blackadder Goes Forth
, General Melchett and others use the exclamation.
Cult classic
film The Rocky Horror Picture Show
has a character named Dr. Everett von Scott. At one point Brad Majors (played by Barry Bostwick
) sees him and exclaims, "Great Scott!" This line is typically lampooned by the audience by throwing Scottissue brand toilet paper.
It is used frequently and memorably by Doctor Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future film trilogy
. The phrase is occasionally used in reference to this by Hiro Nakamura
on the television science-fiction series, Heroes
, albeit sometimes in an exaggerated Japanese ("Gureito Sukotto!").
The animated television series Sheep in the Big City
has a character called "Great Scott" who appears every time anyone says the phrase, replying "Ye-e-e-s?".
The phrase appears as a prominent plot element in the movie No Strings Attached (2011).
Great Scott! was the name of a now-defunct supermarket
chain in the Detroit, Michigan
area. The 37-store chain was merged into the Kroger
Company in September 1990. This chain is not related to a still-operating supermarket chain in Northwest Ohio, which operates as Great Scot.
The term is sometimes used as a nickname for the unabridged version of A Greek-English Lexicon
, from one of its editors, Robert Scott
.
Possible origins
The origin of the expression is uncertain, with several plausible sources.A likely source is as a reference to American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
commander‑in‑chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the U.S. Army, General Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
. The general, known to his troops as Old Fuss and Feathers, weighed 300 pounds (21 stone or 136 kg) in his later years and was too fat to ride a horse. A May 1861 edition of the New York Times included the sentence:
- These gathering hosts of loyal freemen, under the command of the great SCOTT.
In an 1871 issue of the Galaxy, the expression itself is quoted:
- "Great—Scott!" he gasped in his stupefaction, using the name of the then commander-in-chief for an oath, as officers sometimes did in those days.
The phrase also appears in the 3 May 1864 diary entry by Private Robert Knox Sneden
Robert Knox Sneden
Robert Knox Sneden was an American landscape painter, as well as a map-maker for the Union Army during the American Civil War who was a prolific illustrator and memoirist...
(later published as Eye of the Storm: a Civil War Odyssey):
- ‘Great Scott,’ who would have thought that this would be the destiny of the Union Volunteer in 1861–2 while marching down Broadway to the tune of ‘John Brown’s Body’.
Another possible origin is an anglicized corruption of an expression used by the German Albert, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria, transforming "Grüss Gott" ("Greet God") into "Great Scott". The etymologist and author John Ciardi
John Ciardi
John Anthony Ciardi was an American poet, translator, and etymologist. While primarily known as a poet, he also translated Dante's Divine Comedy, wrote several volumes of children's poetry, pursued etymology, contributed to the Saturday Review as a columnist and long-time poetry editor, and...
once believed this, but later recanted in a radio broadcast in 1985.
Similarly, the expression could be a minced oath
Minced oath
A minced oath is an expression based on a profanity or a taboo term that has been altered to reduce the objectionable characteristics.Many languages have such expressions...
, derived from the English phrase "[by the] grace of God".
Another possible source comes from Mark Twain's
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
hate for Sir Walter Scott and his writing, which popularized historical fiction and romanticized war in general. Twain's disdain for Scott is evident in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is an 1889 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The book was originally titled A Yankee in King Arthur's Court...
, in which the main character repeatedly utters "great Scott" as an oath, and in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, where he names a sinking boat the Walter Scott.
Notable uses
Mark TwainMark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
uses the phrase extensively in his books, including Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Following the Equator
Following the Equator
Following the Equator or More Tramps Abroad is a non-fiction travelogue published by American author Mark Twain in 1897....
, and others.
The exclamation can be found in the works of C.S. Lewis, used by Digory Kirke
Digory Kirke
Digory Kirke is a fictional character from C. S. Lewis' fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. He is in three of the seven books: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Magician's Nephew, and The Last Battle, and is mentioned in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.In the 2005 film The Chronicles...
in The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew is a fantasy novel for children written by C. S. Lewis. It was the sixth book published in his The Chronicles of Narnia series, but is the first in the chronology of the Narnia novels' fictional universe. Thus it is an early example of a prequel.The novel is initially set in...
, and by Peter in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Published in 1950 and set circa 1940, it is the first-published book of The Chronicles of Narnia and is the best known book of the series. Although it was written and published first, it is second in the series'...
, and also appearing in his Space Trilogy
Space Trilogy
The Space Trilogy, Cosmic Trilogy or Ransom Trilogy is a trilogy of science fiction novels by C. S. Lewis, famous for his later series The Chronicles of Narnia. A philologist named Elwin Ransom is the hero of the first two novels and an important character in the third.The books in the trilogy...
.
Dr. Watson habitually uses the expression in the Rathbone-Bruce Sherlock Holmes films
Rathbone-Bruce Sherlock Holmes films
Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce played Arthur Conan Doyle's characters Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson respectively in fourteen black-and-white films released between 1939 and 1946.- Beginning at Twentieth Century Fox :...
made between 1939 and 1946.
As an inoffensive expression, the phrase "Great Scott" came to be commonly used in superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
comic books for children during the mid 20th century; Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
uses the expression frequently in this era. It is similarly used by Birdman, a Hanna-Barbera cartoon superhero, as well as by Superman and Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
in the Super Friends
Super Friends
Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup...
animated series.
In Blackadder Goes Forth
Blackadder Goes Forth
Blackadder Goes Forth is the fourth and final series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989 on BBC One....
, General Melchett and others use the exclamation.
Cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
film The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
has a character named Dr. Everett von Scott. At one point Brad Majors (played by Barry Bostwick
Barry Bostwick
Barry Knapp Bostwick is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing Brad Majors in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, replacing Peter Scolari as Mr. Tyler in the sitcom What I Like About You, and playing mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom Spin City...
) sees him and exclaims, "Great Scott!" This line is typically lampooned by the audience by throwing Scottissue brand toilet paper.
It is used frequently and memorably by Doctor Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future film trilogy
Back to the Future trilogy
The Back to the Future trilogy is a comedic science fiction adventure film series written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, directed by Zemeckis, produced by Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The main plot follows the adventures of a high school student Marty McFly and...
. The phrase is occasionally used in reference to this by Hiro Nakamura
Hiro Nakamura
is a fictional character on the NBC fantasy drama Heroes who possesses the ability of space-time manipulation. This means that Hiro is able to alter the flow of time. Previously, his ability allowed him to teleport, stop time, or travel through time, but recent events in the series have prevented...
on the television science-fiction series, Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
, albeit sometimes in an exaggerated Japanese ("Gureito Sukotto!").
The animated television series Sheep in the Big City
Sheep in the Big City
Sheep in the Big City is an American animated television series which ran on Cartoon Network for two seasons, from November 4, 2000 to April 7, 2002....
has a character called "Great Scott" who appears every time anyone says the phrase, replying "Ye-e-e-s?".
The phrase appears as a prominent plot element in the movie No Strings Attached (2011).
Great Scott! was the name of a now-defunct supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
chain in the Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
area. The 37-store chain was merged into the Kroger
Kroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
Company in September 1990. This chain is not related to a still-operating supermarket chain in Northwest Ohio, which operates as Great Scot.
The term is sometimes used as a nickname for the unabridged version of A Greek-English Lexicon
Greek-English Lexicon
A Greek–English Lexicon is a standard lexicographical work of the Ancient Greek language.-Liddell and Scott's lexicon:The lexicon was begun in the nineteenth century and is now in its ninth edition...
, from one of its editors, Robert Scott
Robert Scott (philologist)
Robert Scott was an English academic philologist, clergyman, and a Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford...
.