Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
PEGRAL, adj., n. Also peegrel, -il. [′pegrəl, ′pi-]
I. adj. Mean, greedy, miserly (Mry., Bnff. 1937; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein, peegrel).Slk. 1875 Border Treasury (22 May) 488:
Hoo are ye comin on wi' that peegril skin-'im-alive factor body?
II. n. 1. A commonplace, uneducated person, a bumpkin, “a rough fellow not necessarily bad” (Mry., Abd. 1921 T.S.D.C. 16); applied to a child jocularly, = scamp, rascal.
2. A thin, pallid-looking boy (Bwk. 1923).
[O.Sc. peggrell, 1535, pygrall, 1555, pegrall, 1567, petty, paltry, trifling, insignificant. Orig. obscure, phs. a variant of O.Sc. pedderell, from Pedder, q.v.]
