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.
MARDLE, adj., n.1 Also mardel, -al, maurdel; merdle, -al, -el; mairdal, -il.
I. adj. Heavy, unwieldy, clumsy, corpulent, hence lazy, applied most freq. to women (Rnf. 1837 Crawfurd MSS. XI. 318).Rnf. 1813 G. MacIndoe Wandering Muse 73:
A mardal, useless, guid-for-naething clatch, Where e'en twa mice 'ill scarce fin room to hatch.ne.Sc. a.1900 Sc. N. & Q. (Feb. 1928) 42:
“I believe you were a first rate turf-cutter in your younger days?” “I was that”, he replied, “but I'm ower fat an' maurdel noo”.
II. n. A contemptuous term for a fat, clumsy, idle woman (Ags. 1808 Jam., mairdil; Sh., Bnff. 1880 Jam.; Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), Sh. 1962, merdle); a gossip (Bnff. 1880 Jam.).
[Prob. the same word as Mardle, n.2]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Mardle adj., n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 31 Oct 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/mardle_adj_n1>
