“Scots-are-Cheap” Stereotype

“Fun Facts Saturday”

My Scottish ancestors have a reputation for being brave, fierce fighters. They also have a reputation for being:

• Miserly
• Thrifty
• Cheap
• Chintzy
• Frugal
• Stingy
• “Careful with money”
• “Penny-pinching”
• “Tight-fisted”

No one knows how or when the “Scots-are-Cheap” stereotype started. It is at least 400 years old.  “Originally it reflected Scots’ poverty and then became complimentary, focusing on the fact that Scots are very good at money, good at business.” (Prof. Murray Pittock, Univ. of Glasgow)

We are familiar with the phrase, “He Scotched the deal.” Poet Ogden Nash wrote, “No McTavish/Was ever lavish.”

Edinburgh Castle – Stingy with Cannonballs

At Edinburgh Castle, they have fired a canon every day for centuries so that sailors and residents could set their clocks.  The Scots picked “1 pm” because they only needed to use one cannonball.  Moreover, they sent a soldier to try to find the canon ball they could use it again.

Cheap Store Brand Scottish Cigarettes and Beer

A Scottish grocery store chain sold their own brand of inexpensive cigarettes and advertised them as a “Scotch Buy.”   They sold their own brand of beer labeled “Scotch Buy Beer.”

Cheap Scottish Toilet Paper

Most toilet paper companies advertise their product as “soft” and “absorbent.” A Scottish company advertised its toilet paper as “real economy.” “I like MD [toilet paper] because it’s real economy.” (See: Below)

“Scotch Tape”

Scotch tape got its name because the creators at 3M originally wanted to save money by putting adhesive only on the edges, and not in the middle.  A body shop worker complained: “Take this tape back to those Scotch bosses of yours and tell them to put more adhesive on it.”  The “Scotch” name was soon applied to the entire line of 3M tapes. (“Scotch Tape,” Wikipedia)

Cheap “Scotsman” Cars

In 1957, the Studebaker car company produced a cheap, no-frills vehicle and called it “The Scotsman” The hubcaps and grilles were painted, rather than chromed. The interiors were fitted with painted cardboard panels. And if you wanted a heater, you had to pay extra.

Popular Scots-are-Cheap Jokes

• Q: What’s the difference between a Scotsman and a canoe? A: Canoes tip.
• In Scottish restaurants, they heat the knives, so you can’t use too much butter.
• A Scotsman went into a fish and chip shop. “I want 10 pence worth of fish and chips, and wrap the whole thing in today’s paper.”
• Letter to the Editor of a Scottish newspaper. “If you print any more jokes about Scotsmen, I’m going to stop borrowing your paper.“
• Have you heard that the Grand Canyon was actually started by a Scotsman who lost a coin in a ditch?
• A Scottish couple won the million-dollar lottery. Wife: “After twenty years of scrubbing other people’s floors, I can throw my old scrubbing brush away at last.” Husband: “Of course, we can easily afford to buy you a new one now.”
• Angus saw that his friend was stripping the wallpaper from the living room. “You’re decorating, I see.”  “No, I’m moving to a new place.”
• The police arrested a Scotsman for making anonymous nuisance telephone calls.  They caught him because he kept reversing the charges.
• After Angus took his girlfriend out to dinner, she said: “Be careful on your way home. I’d hate anyone to rob you of all the money you’ve saved this evening.”

(See: Anti-Scottish Sentiment,” Wikipedia)

Scots-are-Cheap