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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

WINGLE, v., n. Also wingl, weengle, wengl, waingle, whingle; weenkle (Ork.), winkle. [wɪŋl, wiŋl; Sh. wɪŋgl, Ork. + wiŋkl]

I. v. 1. intr. To walk unsteadily in a wobbly, zig-zag fashion, reel, totter (Gall. 1825 Jam.; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl., Sh. 1974); to move with difficulty under a heavy load, to stagger; fig. to struggle on against obstacles. Adj. weenkly, wobbly, flaccid, moving in a staggery twisted manner, as of weak legs (Ork. 1929 Marw.).Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. (1876) 483:
I did see him winglan awa' by the back side o' the auld saugh Lochan.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xxix.:
When I left Perth I had as mony pretty petawtis as I could waingle wi'.Uls. 1929:
He never made money on that farm, he was always just winglin' along.

Hence reduplic. form weenkle-wankle, wingl-wangl, adv., in a wobbly manner, unsteadily (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), geng wingl-wangl; Ork. 1974).Ork. 1929 Marw.:
His legs were gaan weenkle-wankle.

2. intr. To twist, wriggle; to meander (of streams, etc.) (Sh. 1914 Angus Gl., wingl, wengle; Sh., Cai. 1974); tr. to twist, bend, to bend with reflex curves, to bend backward and forward, as a line or wire (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., 1914 Angus Gl.). Hence ppl.adj. winglit, -ed, bent, twisted, of persons or things.Sh. a.1838 Jam. MSS. XI. 228:
A wingled prein, a pin that is bent and twisted.Sh. 1886 J. Burgess Sketches 21:
Jessie mentioned the new shopman, who was, she said, “A lang winglit-lookin' crater.”Dmf. 1912 J. L. Waugh Robbie Doo 49:
A precipice at the bottom o' which the burn looks like a winklin threed.Sh. 1918 J. Nicolson Hentilagets 21:
Mony a time wi mukkle joy I'm seen De [a burn] wengling i da warm, sunny oors.m.Sc. 1986 Ian A. Bowman in Joy Hendry Chapman 43-4 165:
The gean tree soughs in the breeze: ae winglin branch,

3. intr. To hang loosely, dangle; to flap, flutter, wag (Abd. 1825 Jam., waingle; Dmf. 1825 Jam., wingle; Ork. 1929 Marw., weengle; Sh. 1974).Fif. 1823 W. Tennant Card. Beaton 14:
Wingling flails, and couters, and barrow-trams.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xi.:
A greybeard fu' o whisky wainglin' on her arm.Bnff. 1869 W. Knight Auld Yule 20:
His lips were blae — nae fusion there, They wadna wag nor wingle.Arg. 1882 Argyllshire Herald (3 June):
Like King Auchasuyrus, wi aa your tartles an trooshlach, weenglan aboot your muckle spaagach, sclaffran cluits!

II. n. 1. A winding object, something which bends or twists. Combs. ¶curly whingles, a twisting or uncomfortable sensation in the intestines, “collywobbles”; winkle-wankle, a coiling, convolution.Edb. 1793 The Philistines 9:
I've ta'en the curly whingles i' my guts, sin ye spak about that gulleyteen.Dmf. 1915 J. L. Waugh Betty Grier 111:
The paper has a kind o' mauve gr'und wi' a gold stripe runnin' up, an' roon the stripe there's a winkle-wankle o' nice big roses.Bnff. 1954:
That's an awfu wingle o a road — i.e. it winds about a great deal.

2. A heavy unmanageable burden.Fif. 1893 G. Setoun Barncraig 110:
“Ay, Lowrie,” she said, “it's a heavy wingle.” “I'll carry't,” said Angus boldly.