Boffin

Word of the Day for Sunday 2^nd February 2014

Boffin \BOF-in\, noun:

a scientist or technical expert.

A brilliant boffin — well, everyone attached to Tea Clipper was brilliant in one way or another.
-- Tom Clancy, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, 1988

Two years thinking of nothing else. Nobel laureate, balding boffin, government appointee, in the dock, fighting to stay out of jail.

-- Ian McEwan, Solar, 2010

Boffin arose in the early 1940’s. Though there are many hypotheses about its etymology, its origin remains unknown.

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com