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Ahnzoog t1_j9f5jdv wrote

Any plan in the UK government is called a scheme, but in the US we use scheme to almost exclusively mean a negative. In the US "Scheming" means something similar to planning to scam someone.

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scrubbless t1_j9fkzl9 wrote

As you say, scheme is just another word for plan (like a schematic is a diagram).

Its most commonly used in conjunction with government, but at times you'll see it used in business - health care scheme, pension scheme, etc.

We also use it in the negative sense - scheming is getting together to plan something untoward or underhanded.

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