Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1835-1837, 1929
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MAFFLE, v. 1. To procrastinate, to waste time; to work in a muddled, bungling manner. Only in vbl.n. maffling, procrastination, bungling, and ppl.adj. maffled, half asleep, dazed (Dmf.3 1920, Dmf. 1962). Also in Eng. dial.Dmf. 1835 Carlyle Letters (Norton) II. 280:
But the danger all over Annandale . . . is that miserable habit of maffling, in all senses of the word.Dmf. 1837 Carlyle Life in London (Froude 1884) I. 94:
Now, after much higgling and maffling, the printers have got fairly afloat.
2. To make one's way with difficulty. Cf. Mauchle.Ork. 1929 Marw.:
Gaan mafflan through the heather.
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"Maffle v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/maffle>
