Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1777-1824, 1926
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†GRUGOUS, adj. Also grugeous. Grim, ugly, surly.Abd. 1777 R. Forbes in Sc. Poems 21:
For Paris an' the grugous carls That sta' the wife cam in.Ags. 1815 G. Beattie John o' Arnha' (1852) 15:
Which added horror to his mein — A grugous wight he was I ween.Sc. 1819 Scots Mag. (June) 527:
In place o' the teind to the grougous fiend, Gude grant him ane o' three.Abd. 1824 G. Smith Douglas 56, 108:
Here's twa lads comes stalkin' in the gate, Wha's grugeous looks wad mak' a body sweat. . . . O! Death, thou girning grugeous carl.Sc.(E) 1926 H. M'Diarmid Drunk Man 43:
The waefu' clay was fire aince mair, As Earth had been resumed Into God's mind, frae which sae lang To grugous state 'twas doomed.
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"Grugous adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/grugous>
