Cleishbotham

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The invented name of the schoolmaster and parish clerk whom Walter Scott presents as the compiler of his Tales of My Landlord
2. A pseudonym that Walter Scott gave to the fictional schoolmaster who supposedly gathers and edits the stories in his Tales of My Landlord
3. The made-up identity of a Scottish village schoolmaster, adopted by Walter Scott as the imagined editor of his Tales of My Landlord

Etymology: Walter Scott published his "Tales of My Landlord" under the name Jedediah Cleishbotham, an invented Scottish parish schoolmaster who supposedly gathered the stories from his guests. Scott had been publishing novels anonymously, and the persona let him present the tales as the work of a humble, slightly pompous village teacher. The name appears to be built from Scots. "Cleish" is a Scots word for a blow or to cuff, which suits a schoolmaster known for his rod. The second element, "botham," is less certain, and its exact source is unclear. The name is Scott's own invention, though, and it is the only context in which the word is well attested.