Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1804-1864, 1932
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0]
‡SCURRYVAIG, n., v. Also scurri-, skurry-, skurri-, skirri-; and altered form scuddie-(Rxb.); erron. -varg. [skʌrɪ′veg]
I. n. 1. A vagabond, an idle, loafing, unkempt or slatternly person, a lout, a scullion (Lth., Rxb. 1825 Jam.; ‡Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).Wgt. 1804 R. Couper Poetry II. 87:
Vile scurryvaig, why did ye steal The remnant o' my swine!Sc. 1819 J. Rennie St. Patrick III. xiii.:
Aye ye may hide the vile scurrivaig, an' hiddle an' smiddle the deeds o' darkness!Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xxxi.:
Thae brutal scurryvaigs that lick their wives.
2. A course of dissipation, a debauch, spree (wm.Sc. 1880 Jam.).
II. v. tr. or absol. To range or roam about aimlessly (over), to scour, to wander (Ayr. 1825 Jam.); to live in idleness and dissipation (Sc. 1880 Jam., skurryvarg (sic)). Now only arch.Edb. 1821 Scots Mag. (April) 351:
A' thae scurrivaging willfire gangrals.Sc. 1822 A. Sutherland Cospatrick II. vi.:
He shall skurrivaig the kintry wi' the warst o' us.Abd. 1932 R. L. Cassie Sc. Sangs 22:
Eh! fat's come owre wir braw young folk? They're seerly skirrivaigin.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Scurryvaig n., v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 3 May 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/scurryvaig>
This short survey (6 questions) will help us improve the site.
