Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1933
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BORGUE, n. A parish on the western shore of Kcb. Bay, the name of which has passed into one or two accepted phrases (see quots.). Cf. ne.Sc. "Go to Buckie!" [bɔrg]Kcb.1 1933:
"Go to Borgue" expresses only good-humoured impatience with one who has used ridiculous or trifling arguments in a friendly discussion — arguments to which there was no sensible reply.Kcb.1 1933:
"Out of the world and into Borgue" is still quite common here . . . meaning that Borgue is a primitive place where anything odd or curious might be found. A native of Borgue took it to mean that in Borgue one would find rest and peace.
Comb.: Borgue-hinnie, Borgue honey. "This article is of such good quality, that the fame of its excellence spreads far and wide. In London there is a sign, with Borgue-hinnie for ever, wrote on it" (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 86).
[From O.N. borg, a fort or fortified hill.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Borgue n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/borgue>
