SCOTUS (Supreme Court Of The United States)
“SCROTUS” is an acronym for the “Supreme Court Of The United States.” The term was used by 19th century telegraphers and appears in the book The Phillips Telegraphic Code (1879) by Walter Polk Phillips.
The slang term “SCROTUS” (Supreme Court Republicans Of The United States) has been used to label the Supreme Court’s conservative justices.
Similar acronyms include “POTUS” (President Of The United States), “PEOTUS” (President-Elect Of The United States), “FLOTUS” (First Lady Of The United States), “VPOTUS” (Vice President Of The United States), “COTUS” (Constitution Of The United States), “COTUS” (Cat Of The United States), “DOTUS” (Dog Of The United States) and “TOTUS” (Teleprompter Of The United States).
Wikipedia: Scrotus
Scotus may refer to:
. SCOTUS, the acronym for the Supreme Court of the United States
SCOTUSblog
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES BLOG
Google Books
The Phillips telegraphic code for the rapid transmission by telegraph of press reports, commercial and private telegrams, and all other matter sent by wire or cable.
By Walter Polk Phillips
Washington, DC: Gibson Bros.
1879
Pg. 65:
Scotus—Supreme Court of the United States.
4 August 1895, New York (NY) Times, “In the World of Electricity,” pg. 23:
The telegraphic work in the newspaper offices is a supreme test of the staying powers of an operator, and few women are equal to its requirements.
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The use of the machine has led to the formation of a special code. For instance, the operator receiving over the wire the word “scotus” has to write out on his machine “the Supreme Court of the United States.”
Newspapers.com
30 November 1895, Atlanta (GA) Constitution, “Etched and Sketched,” pg. 6, col. 7:
For instance, one night a receiver on The Constitution’s press wire took a sentence which read: “The Potus today made the following appointments.” “Potus” stands for “president of the United States,” and “scotus” for “supreme court of the United States.”
Google Books
Sketches Old and New
By Walter Polk Phillips
New York, NY; J.H. Bunnell & Co.
1897
Pg. 247:
The Supreme Court of the United States is designated by the word “Scotus,” and so on ad infinitum. The Phillips Code is sent over the wire through an instantaneous mental transformation from the written words lying beneath the operator’s eye,
Google Books
SIGNAL CORPS MANUAL, No. 2
Regulations for the Management of the U. S. Military Telegraph Lines
By Major Joseph E. Maxfield
Washington, DC: Government printing Office
1903
Pg. 65:
Scotus…Supreme Court of the United States
Google Books
October 1904, Atlantic Monthly, “Machinery and English Style” by Robert Lincoln O’Brien, pg. 465, col. 2:
To illustrate: S-c-o-t-u-s stands for the “Supreme Court of the United States,” a sign obviously made from the initials of the words represented, just as “potus,” makes “President of the United States.” While Scotus thus stands for six words, it is impossible to have “s.c.,” its first two letters, stand alone for “Supreme Court,” because those letters are wanted for South Carolina. “Supreme Court” by itself is not abbreviated.
Google Books
Commercial Correspondence;
A talk about business letters from a practical standpoint
Detroit, MI: Book-keeper Publishing Co.
1906
Pg. 175:
In the code used by the Associated Press, for instance, the word “scotus” is used to mention “The Supreme Court of the United States.” Thus seven words are transmitted as one.
Google Books
Operator’s Wireless Telegraph and Telephone Handbook;
A complete treatise on the construction and operation of the wireless telegraph and telephone, including the rules of naval stations, codes, abbreviations, etc.
By Victor Hugo Laughter
Chicago, IL: F.J. Drake
1918
Pg. 113:
Scotus. — Supreme Court of the United States.
New York (NY) Times
Acronym
By BEN ZIMMER
Published: December 16, 2010
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In English, the first known acronyms (as opposed to plain old initialisms) cropped up in the telegraphic code developed by Walter P. Phillips for the United Press Association in 1879. The code abbreviated “Supreme Court of the United States” as SCOTUS and “President of the…” as POT, giving way to POTUS by 1895. Those shorthand labels have lingered in journalistic and diplomatic circles—now joined by FLOTUS, which of course stands for “First Lady of the United States.”