Scalping Tickets and Scalping in War Share Only a Word
The scalp is the skin of the head. To scalp also means to resell tickets at a profit, an unrelated modern sense.
The scalp is the skin covering the top of the head. To *scalp* also means to buy tickets and resell them above face value, an American sense from the 1860s. The connection to the older violent meaning is metaphorical and loose — taking a thin layer off the top for profit — and the two senses now live entirely separate lives. The word itself is Scandinavian, related to a Norse word for a shell or sheath.
- The skin of the head. *A dry scalp.*
- To resell tickets. *Scalping tickets.*
- Scalper — a reseller. *A ticket scalper.*
- Tout — the British equivalent. *A ticket tout.*
- Old Norse — *skalpr*, a sheath. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | scalp | The scalp. |
| Plural | scalps | Scalps. |
| Verb | scalp | Scalp tickets. |
| Agent | scalper | A scalper. |
| British | tout | A tout. |
- The shampoo soothes a dry scalp.Anatomy.
- Scalpers sold seats at triple price.Tickets.
- British English says tout.Usage.
Words for reselling at a markup
- Scalp — American, for tickets
- Tout — British, for the same activity
- Arbitrage — the same idea in finance, respectably named
- Flip — reselling property or goods quickly
- Profiteer — reselling necessities during shortage
Probably from a Scandinavian source related to Old Norse *skalpr*, a sheath, and to *scale* in the shell sense.
Why is ticket reselling called scalping?
An American usage from the 1860s, loosely metaphorical: taking a thin layer off the top for profit.
What is the British word?
Tout. A ticket tout does what an American ticket scalper does.