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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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PUG, n.¹, v.¹ Also pyoug. The dim. puggie, -y, is now the predominating form in both n. and v.

I. n. 1. A monkey (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Per., Fif., Lth. 1915–26 Wilson; m.Sc. 1967). Obs. in Eng. in 18th c. Comb. puggie-monkey, puggy-ape, id. Also attrib. = ugly, ill-favoured, monkey-like.Sc. 1722 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) III. 20:
'Tis Gowd that makes some great Men witty, And puggy Lasses fair and pretty.Peb. 1793 R. Brown Carlop Green (1817) 132, 119:
Pugs, bears, and dancan' dogs . . . The pug-like smilan Pegh; Wi' the powowit poll.Sc. 1827 G. R. Kinloch Ballad Bk. (1891) 34:
I saw a puggie wearing boots.Per. 1857 J. Stewart Sketches 64:
A skrankie puggie face an' scaud ee.Fif. 1862 St. Andrews Gaz. (25 July):
I'd faur rather crack nitts a lee-lang winter's nicht wi' a puggy, than hear intemperate an' inconsistent speeches on temperance.Edb. 1876 J. Smith Archie and Bess 12:
Ye puir superannuated, puggie-faced lookin' poker!Sc. 1893 Stevenson Catriona x.:
My affection for my king, God bless the puggy face of him.Kcb. 1896 Crockett Grey Man ii.:
Everything I craved for is here saving the brown puggy-monkey.Wgt. 1912 A.O.W.B. Fables frae French 48:
They socht Help frae a Puggy weel-verst in the law.Sc. 1933 W. Soutar Seeds in the Wind 31:
A puggie snaig'd aff wi' the cripple man's crutch . . . Och hone, och hone, grat happity John.Bch. 1943 W. S. Forsyth Guff o' Waur 21:
And jumpit like a puggy on the quay.Fif.¹⁷ 1952:
A person working clumsily with a tool is like a puggy suppin pheesic wi' an elsin. wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 22:
Naw naw, A biddable good-lassie must obey
Her faither if he'd wad her tae a puggy-ape!
Yir future's rosy, dinna ettle tae escape.

Combs. and phrs.: (1) as fou as a puggie, extremely drunk (Edb. 1931 E. Albert Herrin' Jennie 219; Cai., m. and s.Sc. 1966),    or full of food, having overeaten. (2) puggy bun, a bun or tea-cake consisting of a treacle sponge mixture in a pastry case, phs. so called from its resemblance to a monkey's face (Per., Fif. 1967). Also reduced form puggy, id.; (3) puggy jacket, a short jacket cut off at the waist, a monkey jacket; (4) puggy nut, the pea-nut or monkey-nut, Arachis hypogaea (Edb. 1958); (5) to get (have, etc.) one's puggy up, to lose one's temper, a translation of colloq. Eng. to get one's monkey up (Fif. 1967). Hence by extension to lose one's puggy, id. (m., s.Sc. 1967); (6) to mak a puggy o' onesel, to make a laughing-stock or exhibition of oneself, to behave in an unseemly way, e.g. through drink (Per. 1967). Cf. (1); (7) to play the puggie, to behave dishonestly, cheat, “do (someone) down” (Clc. 1958). Cf. II. 1.(1)Fif. 1985 Christopher Rush A Twelvemonth and a Day 255:
He must have crawled inside on New Year's night, full's a puggie, more steam coming out of his head than there's be from the boat. Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 55:
Fu as a puggy means very drunk or full (having overeaten). You can also be fat as a puggy. Edb. 1988:
Ah'm as fou as a puggie efter thon dinner. Ags. 1988 Raymond Vettese The Richt Noise 51:
As fou's a puggie maist o the week,
that snochert whiles he could barelies speak
but sat, heid doon a' haverin
aye tae himsel, mumpin, slaverin,
reid i the neb, cramasie i the cheek.(2) Fif. 1953 St. Andrews Cit. (10 Oct.):
A wide range of such products, which included puggy buns, paving-stones, snaps, perkins, gingerbread rings, ginger cake and slabs.(3) Fif. 1832 Fife Herald (8 Nov.):
Its breeks were like a petticoat, Wi' a wee bit puggy jacket, cut Close aboon its hurdies.(5) Edb. 1895 J. Tweeddale Moff xii.:
I have begun to like to see her puggy up.wm.Sc. 1932 J. Corrie A Man o' War 13:
It's no' ill gettin' his puggy up at ony time.(6) Sc. 1899 Montgomerie-Fleming 119:
It is also applied to one under the influence of John Barleycorn. “A bonnie-like puggie he made o' himsel”.

2. A term of disrespect or dislike for a person of grotesque appearance or spiteful or mischievous nature (Per. 1915 Wilson L. Strathearn 211, Per. 1967). Cf. Eng. monkey, id.Fif. 1882 J. Simson Inverkeithing 44:
She was a “nasty little puggie”; the last of which words became her nickname at the school.Sc. 1884 Stevenson Letters to Baxter (1956) 143:
I had been singl'erly oonfortinate in ma law cases, and had less nor justice frae weeg'd puggies like Deas.wm.Sc. 1903 S. Macplowter Mrs. McCraw 49:
A concaited wee puggie o' a grocer's apprentice.Per. 1904 R. Ford Hum. Sc. Stories II. 14:
To ha'e an ugly, wicked wratch o' a puggie like you wi' him to gather in the bawbees.

3. A small lamb (Ayr. 1930). Also in Eng. dial. Cf. Austral. dial. monkey, a sheep.

4. An acorn, esp. the nut in the cup (Fif., Slk. 1950). Hence puggie pipe, the cup and stalk of the acorn, put by children into their mouths and “smoked” (Ib.; Lth. 1967).

5. Applied to anything squat or dumpy, in quot. of an old steamboat.Bnff. 1957 Bnff. Advertiser (24 Oct.):
Fit aboot scuttlin' yer aul' pyoug, Peter, an' gettin' the insurance?

6. Always puggie: A fruit machine; orig. a one-armed bandit.Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 55:
puggy This is a Scots word for monkey, but the relevance of this to the various uses given here is not always obvious. ... The word is also used to mean a one-armed bandit or fruit machine, ... Edb. 1991:
I'm away to play on the puggies.Gsw. 1994 Herald (27 Aug) 15:
The most popular game in Glasgow amusement arcades is the puggy machine.Edb. 1999:
I play on the puggies far too much.

II. v. In dim. form puggie, -y: 1. To cheat, do down, trick, “make a monkey of” (Lth. 1921 T.S.D.C.).Lth. 1882 J. Strathesk Blinkbonny vii.:
Somebody's been puggyin' me.

2. To make off with, steal, purloin (Ags., Slg. 1921 T.S.D.C.). Cf. I. 1. (7) above.