ORIGINS

[MACTAVISH]

HAS ANYONE ANY IDEAS WHERE WE GET THE SAYINGS 'GREAT SCOT!' AND 'SCOT FREE'
I HAVE A PASSING INTEREST IN ORIGINS,ESPECIALLY IF I CAN TRACE THEM MYSELF, FOR INSTANCE;
 IM CONVINCED THAT YOU COLONIALISTS SAY 'OH HECK! ' FROM THE GAELIC 'ECK' WHICH MEANS 'CALAMITY'( AS IN LOCH ECK, IT COULD MEAN HORSE LOCH BUT IM ASSURED IT DOESNT, ITS THE LOCH OF CALAMITY). ARE YOU GUYS SAYING HECK AS A POLITE FORM OF 'HELL' OR IS IT REALLY FROM THE GAELIC 'OH CALAMITY!'? QUITE A FEW GAELIC WORDS HAVE COME INTO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE- SPUD=POTATO /  SLOGAN  =WARCRY  ETC.  SORRY IM STARTING TO RAMBLE AGAIN.........

[Graham Thompson]

Well clearly were a free people and were just that damn great that they decided to make 2 sayings about us.

[Michael Thompson]

ARE YOU GUYS SAYING HECK AS A POLITE FORM OF 'HELL' OR IS IT REALLY FROM THE GAELIC 'OH CALAMITY!'?

When we say it, it's a eupemism for Oh, Hell, but why that particular word was chosen as the stand-in, I've never heard. It may indeed originate in Gaelic.

[Michael Thompson]

HAS ANYONE ANY IDEAS WHERE WE GET THE SAYINGS 'GREAT SCOT!'

The expression dates back at least to the American Civil War, and may refer to the one-time commander of the U.S. Army, General Winfield Scott. In a May 1861 edition of the New York Times was the sentence:

    These gathering hosts of loyal freemen, under the command of the great SCOTT.

In an 1871 issue of Galaxy magazine, there is:

    ‘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. 

From Wikipedia

AND 'SCOT FREE'

Online Etymological Dictionary says this one is Old English

O.E. scotfreo "exempt from royal tax," from scot "royal tax," from O.N. skot "contribution, reckoning, shot" + freo (see free). Related to O.E. sceotan "to pay, contribute,"