Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
FIGMALEERY, n. Also figmaleerie, -lirie.
1. A whim, fancy, crotchet.Sc. 1730 Ramsay Poems (1800) II. 496:
But Bess the whig, a raving rump, Took figmaliries, and wald jump.
2. A fancy ornament or trimming (Abd.27, Fif.10 1945). Also attrib.Edb. 1882 J. Smith Hum. Sc. Stories 14:
Ye'll pit on yer sou-backit mutch . . . and yer grand figmaleery bannit.Lnk. 1922 T. S. Cairncross Scot at Hame 32:
And as for Jenny buyin' silk And furs and figmalerie.
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"Figmaleery n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 8 Oct 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/figmaleery>