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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

GEG, n.³ Also gig, geeg, †gegg, and dims. in -ie. The article (such as a small piece of wood, a penknife, etc.) used in smuggle the geg, a boy's game in which the players divided into two equal parties, the “outs” and the “ins”, the object of the “ins” (those left in the base) being to catch the boy who holds the geg; also the name given to the boy who holds the article (Mry.² c.1880, — geegie, giggie; Bnff.⁴ 1927, — geg; Dmf. 1925 Trans. Dmf. & Gall. Antiq. Soc. 26, geg; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., geg(gie); Gsw.² 1935, — gig; Abd., Per., Lnk., Ayr., Kcb., Slk. 1954). Also hide the geggie, a similar game (Ags.¹⁸ c.1900). [gɛg]Gsw. 1825 Jam.:
The outs, before leaving the den, shuffle the gegg, or smuggle it so between each other, that the ins do not know which person has it.Abd. 1851 W. Anderson Rhymes 183:
Ye'll min' how, like birdies, we flew wi' our girdies, Or play'd at “kee-how”, or at“smuggle-the-gig.”Lnk. 1869 A. Wallace Sketches 213:
Draw-boys . . . played at “Smuggle the gegg,” or “Keep the corbie aff the craw.”Abd. 1873 J. Ogg Willie Waly 75:
We got into scrapes, but we caredna a fig, As lang's we succeeded in keepin' the “gig”.Sth. 1897 E. W. B. Nicholson Golspie 121:
If the girl who has the ring gets into the “stand” without any of the second side catching her, she calls “Giggie is free” and the first side gets the ring again.Wgt. 1900 E.D.D.:
A small piece of wood is usually the “gig”, or “geg”.Ayr. 1927 J. Carruthers A Man Beset i. i.:
Others were playing “smuggle the geg” in the stackyard.ne.Sc. 1980 James Fowler Fraser Doctor Jimmy 5:
A game which was played quite frequently was what we called "Smuggle the Gig". Two sides were chosen by two boys, there was a toss and one side defended one end of the school playground. The other side had the Gig, or what was to be smuggled in, which was given to one boy. The other team tried to get the Gig and the one who had the Gig had to touch the wall at the end. It was quite exciting and a pretty rough game, rather like a wild rugby scrum most of the time.