Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1879, 1949-1956
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SKEGGLE, v. Also skaegle, skeg(e)l. intr. To sway or slip to one side, to rock, move unsteadily or awry, lose balance, totter. Ppl.adj. skaeglin, of shoes: unsteady, tottery, insecure (Sh. 1970). Also tr. to strike sideways, make awry, twist (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)). [skɛgl]Sh. 1879 Shetland Times (10 May):
Da melishin' sit i' yon skaeglin Scots skuviks 'at dey coodna 'a hadden aff o' da spootin' stane.Sh. 1949 J. Gray Lowrie 150:
Ta skegel me fit apon a stane, an', me bein' wake, I nearly fell asoond.Sh. 1956 New Shetlander No. 44. 22:
His fit skeggled an he laanded wi a dad.
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"Skeggle v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Feb 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/skeggle>
