Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
SLAG, adj., n.2 v.2 Also slagg; slog; and deriv. slag(g)ie, slaga (Sh.). [slɑg]
I. adj. Wet, moist, soft under foot, as of ice in a thaw; of hail or snow (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)). Hence comb. slag-day, see quot.Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 82, 427:
The land, or ice after a thaw, is said to be slaggie. A slag-day with curlers, is a day on which the ice is thawing.
II. n. 1. A marshy place, a slough, morass (s.Sc. 1802 J. Sibbald Chron. Sc. Poetry Gl.; Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), slag, slog; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., Rxb. 1970). Also in deriv. form slaga (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), a weet slaga).
2. Damp weather, fine rain, sleet.Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928):
A weet slag; a slag o' a shooer.
III. v. To rain thinly, to sleet (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)).
[Mid.Eng. slag, wet, muddy. Of Scand. orig. Cf. Norw. dial., O.N. slag, dampness, seeping wetness, Sw. slagg, sleet. For n., 1., cf. Norw. dial. slågå, a broad hollow in the ground, Sw. dial. slaga, swamp.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Slag adj., n.2, v.2". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Nov 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/slag_adj_n2_v2>