Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

MOUL, v. Also mool; mould, moold. To grow mouldy, become covered with mildew or other damp fungus. Now obs. or dial. in Eng. Freq. in ppl.adj. mould(ed), mool(d)ed, mouldy (Ags.² 1935; Abd., Fif. 1963, mooled). [mul]Edb. 1773 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 217:
Safe you may dwall, tho' mould and motty, Beneath the veil o' under coatie.Lnk. a.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 36:
Maggy's milk is a mould salt and sapless langsyne.Ayr. 1789 D. Sillar Poems 120:
But gif ye dinna, haith your pickle cash Will ly an' moul, like ither useless trash.Fif. 1806 A. Douglas Poems 96:
A kebbuck moul'd an' mited.Slk. 1818 Hogg Wool-Gatherer (1874) 74:
They'll . . . leave the good substantial ait-meal bannocks to stand till they moul.Ayr. 1890 J. Service Notandums 68:
A perfect mine o' siller and gold, some o't blue-mooled wi' age.

Hence deriv. moulie, moul(l)y, moolie, -y; mooldy, (1) adj. (i) mouldy, decayed (ne.Sc., Fif., wm.Sc. 1963), fig. of long-hoarded cash; (ii) also moolly, mean, stingy, greedy (Ayr.⁹ 1952; m. and s.Sc. 1963; Fif., Gsw., Ayr., Rxb. 2000s). Used transf. in combs.; moulie drap, a drop of liquor left at the bottom of a glass, sc. as if from parsimony;mooly penny, a miser. (2) as a n.: (i) a sour humourless person; (ii) a hairy-faced man (Mry.¹ 1925).(1) (i) Slg. 1788 R. Galloway Poems 160:
Sae I flew to my mouly ink And gyzen'd pen.Ayr. 1789 D. Sillar Poems 99:
Then, cleave the hair the vera day His mouly ban's are due; If poor he craves for instant pay, If rich they may renew.Sc. 1822 A. Sutherland Cospatrick I. ix.:
There's naething in the house to eat, saving the sour milk I spak o' an' some mooly cheese.Ayr. 1822 Galt Entail xix.:
Ye'll hae to try an there be any moully pennies in the neuk o' your coffer that can be spar'd and no miss't.Ayr. 1847 R. Chambers Pop. Rhymes 43:
Moully siller in Wylieland, Taupy wives in Bruntland.Per. 1857 J. Stewart Sketches 18:
Her pouch doesna clink wi' a moulie bawbee.Gsw. 1865 J. Young Pictures 150:
The schulemates ca'd me 'Vile mooly penny,' an' sic like When I'd, forsooth, my coppers keep.n.Sc. 1925 Scots Mag. (March) 470:
I lookit at it thestreen, an' cuttit aff ony moulie bitties . . . an' it's as gweed's the day it cam' oot o' the oven.(ii) Abd. 1873 P. Buchan Inglismill 38:
Nae moulie draps, noo-clean-cap-oot a' roun.Gsw. 1904 H. Foulis Erchie v.:
“Ye aye brag o' yer flet fit and yer warm hert.” “It's jist a sayin'; I'm as mooly's onything,” said Erchie, and winked to himself.Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 47:
moolly Mean, miserly, stingy: 'Ye'll get nothin oot a that moolly aul devil.'(2) (i) wm.Sc. 1837 Laird of Logan II. 207:
Weel, Willie, you're a regular auld moully.