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: 1825, 1962
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MAUCHLE, v., n. Also machle. [′mǫxl, mɑxl]
I. v. To act or work in a clumsy manner, to exert oneself to no purpose (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.). Ppl.adj. mauchlin, useless, helpless, clumsy (Watson). Sometimes used refl.Per. 1825 Jam.:
Ye'll machle yoursell in the mids of your work.Wgt. 1962:
"Dinna mauchle!", often said to children at the table.
II. n. A useless, helpless or worthless fellow (Watson).
[? A conflation of Maggle and Trachle or, more prob., a variant of Maffle.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Mauchle v., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/mauchle>
