Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1821, 1914
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†HAGGERSNASH, n., adj.
I. n. Offal, scraps of meat (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.); also used fig. = a medley, conglomeration.Sc. 1914 R. B. Cunninghame Graham Sc. Stories 152:
There must hae been an awfu' haggersnash o' tongues, bad as the Tower o' Babel, on board the Aidonia.
¶II. adj. Of language: tart, cutting (Ayr. 1825 Jam.); also used opprobriously of a spiteful person (Ib.).Ayr. 1821 Scots Mag. (April) 351:
I maun . . . lea' them to spaing athort their tapseltirie tantrums an' haggersnash pillgatings apo' some hairum-skairum rattle-skull.
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"Haggersnash n., adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/haggersnash>
