Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
TREGALLION, n. Also tragullion (Ayr. 1825 Jam.), tregullion (Rnf. Id.), tregellye; and in sense 2. trefalyegan. [Cai. trə′fɑljəgən]
1. A miscellaneous collection or assortment in gen. (Dmf. 1808 Jam., the haill tregallion); of persons: a company, esp. implying one that is somewhat disreputable, a motley crew, a riff-raff (Rnf. 1825 Jam.).Ork. 1956 C. M. Costie Benjie's Bodle 57:
Black Pate an' his tregellye that cam' fae the sooth like a flock o' hungry scauries.
2. A tangled stringy mass of material, awkward to handle, an untidy bunch or bundle (Cai. 1939, trefalyegan); a rigmarole, a long rambling story (Cai. 1973).
[Altered or corrupted forms of Trevallie, q.v.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Tregallion n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 25 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/tregallion>
