scalping: an ugly term for minuting. The term emerged in the early 20th century, arising alongside the rise of market makers and floor traders who profited from tiny price differentials. Scalping originally described the practice of buying at the bid and selling at the ask, capturing the spread. This was common among specialists on exchange floors who maintained liquidity and profited from rapid, small-margin trades. Historically, scalping had a dual meaning: referring both to legitimate rapid trading, but also used to describe fraudulent manipulation, such as artificially inflating prices before dumping positions; hence the horrid allusion to savagery. The term lost its unsavory connotation from the 1980s, with rise of electronic trading and retail brokerage platforms. Over time, the legitimate usage became dominant in professional trading circles.