Scotch verdict

noun

1. a verdict of not proven: acceptable in certain cases in Scottish criminal law.
2. any inconclusive decision or declaration.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Scotch verdict¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

It is like the old Scotch verdict when a man was tried for larceny.

From Project Gutenberg

That is to say, the miracles are discarded for lack of evidence, and only for lack of evidence; not on the ground that they are impossible, not on the ground that they impeach and deny the integrity of cause and effect, not on the ground that they contradict the self-evident proposition that an effect must have an efficient cause, but like the Scotch verdict, "not proven."

From Project Gutenberg

“What is a Scotch verdict, Guardian?”

From Project Gutenberg

But the prosecutor's exoneration of Donovan was something like the Scotch verdict of "not proven."

From Time Magazine Archive

As I recall it, they never proved that it did, or at best reached a Scotch verdict.

From Time Magazine Archive