scot-free
adverb/ˌskɒt ˈfriː/
/ˌskɑːt ˈfriː/
(informal)- without receiving the punishment you deserve
- They got off scot-free because of lack of evidence.
Word OriginThis idiom comes from the old English word ‘scot’ meaning ‘tax’. People were scot-free if they didn’t have to pay the tax.Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
scot-free