Sentence:  In fact, a fighting friend of mine said that he could hardly walk in any direction in this war without tumbling over a scientist who had got in the way. In the Royal Air Force, where the concentration of scientists is perhaps greatest, they have a pet name for them. They call them “<WSD>Boffins</WSD>.” Why, I do not know. I said to a young friend of mine in the Air Force, “Why do you call scientists ‘<WSD>Boffins</WSD>'?” He said, “I don't know. What else would you call them?” 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  An engineer or scientist, especially one engaged in technological or military research. (from 1930s–1940s)