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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

UG, v., n.¹ Also ugg, ugh (Mry. 1925); ucc; og-, ogg (Jak.); oug- (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Abd. 1917); aug-. [ʌg]

I. v. 1. tr. To disgust, nauseate, annoy, upset, exasperate (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Dmf. 1899 Country Schoolmaster (Wallace) 355; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Sh., ne.Sc. 1973). Obs. in Eng. exc. n.Eng. dial. Ppl.adjs. uggin, disgusting, loathsome, objectionable, annoying, vexatious (ne.Sc. 1973), uggit, upset, annoyed, disgusted, fed-up (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Sh., ne.Sc. 1973).Ags. 1820 A. Balfour Contemplation 263:
The ben-house, anes sae trig an' clean, Was now enough to ugg your een.Abd. 1838 Whistle-Binkie 118:
For I'm neither sae auld, auld, Nor am I sae gruesome or uggin.ne.Sc. 1893 W. Gregor Dunbar's Wks. (S.T.S.) III. 251:
I canna bide that wine — it's aneuch t' ugg a soo.Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 13:
Yow yins that's keinda perjink menna be uggeet at iz for aa this.Abd. 1956 Bon-Accord (11 Oct.):
He wis uggit tae deid scutterin' an' clortin' wi' paraffine lamps.Abd. 1972:
It's richt uggin tae rin for a bus and the driver never lats on he sees you.

Derivs. ug(g)some, -sum, o(u)g-, aug-, disgusting, loathsome, repulsive, horrible (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 454; Kcb. 190; Ork., Abd., Kcd., Ags., Fif., Clc., Edb., Ayr. 1973), cloying, sickening. Also in n.Eng. dial.; of weather: threatening, stormy-looking (Ork. 1929 Marw.). Hence ugsomelike (Sc. 1911 S.D.D.), ugsomeness, adv. ugsumly.Sc. 1724 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) III. 86:
Infernal be thair Hyre Quha dang us, and flang us Into this ugsum Myre.Rnf. 1790 A. Wilson Poems 238:
Stuffin, wi' ugsome chews, his cheek.Sc. 1816 Scott Antiquary xxi.:
An auld dog that trails its useless ugsome carcass into some bush.Sc. 1834 Blackwood's Mag. (Oct.) 564:
Some hideous witch-hag, to look on whose ugsomeness would be to die.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin iv.:
Mair ugesome to the taste, an' offensive to the smell.Lnk. 1893 J. Crawford Sc. Verses 15:
That ougsome, ill-faur't name.s.Sc. 1901 Border Mag. (July 136:
A hairy, augsome crittur.Ayr. 1932:
It's gey guid: it's no sae ugsome as strawberry jam.Sc. 1951 Scots Mag. (Feb.) 410:
Hir cheeks war shilpit like a ghaist's. an she gowpit ugsumly.Ags. 1960 Forfar Dispatch (27 Oct.):
“Dinna be sae ogsome,” says she.Ags. 1987 Raymond Vettese in Joy Hendry Chapman 50-1 55:
Bella Hyne wis an ugsome wumman wi a crookit mou an' a grey moustache m.Sc. 1988 William Neill Making Tracks 76:
Auld Clootie's ugsome inseck gien a dunt
bi Smoorgoloch's maist deidlie pushen-bree, m.Sc. 1996 John Murray Aspen 11:
Thrawn, Ugsome, Vengefie an Wicked
the meenister's cat wis an X certificate cat Abd. 1998 Sheena Blackhall The Bonsai Grower 75:
Twis a taigle o aspen an willow, a snorrel o nettle an ivy, a dubby, glaury hole the like o fit anely a soor, dour warlock wad chuise tae bide in, an ill-faured, ugsome, gyad-sake, scunnersome airt that even the foolest, maist orra o puddocks wad steer awa frae; ...

2. intr. or absol. To be sickened or nauseated, to feel repulsion (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 203; Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928); Kcb. 1931; Sh. 1973), lit. and fig. Obs. in Eng.; to vomit (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 454).Sc. 1704 J. Fraser Lawfulness & Duty of Separation (1744) 80:
Men scunner and ugg at their Meat, being conveyed to them thro such Vessels.Slg. 1818 W. Muir Poems 55:
A dirty clout or maister mug, Enough to mak' a body ug.Lnk. 1863 J. Hamilton Poems 297:
It's no the wife that curls her nose At cogs o' sowens or cadger's brose, An' uggs at lang-kail.Abd. 1921:
The goo o't gar't me ugg.

3. tr. To find offensive or repellent, dislike, feel disgust or horror at (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Dmf. 1899 Country Schoolmaster (Wallace) 355). Obs. exc. liter.Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 219:
What his kind frighted Mother ugs, Is Musick to the Soger's Lugs.s.Sc. 1793 T. Scott Poems 367:
Thus ane aye seekin' what another ugs.Edb. 1822 R. Wilson Poems 71:
She ever hammers on his lugs, Till her an' hame at last he uggs As the dire door o' hell!Sc. 1913 H. P. Cameron Imit. Christ. II. xii.:
What it naitirally aye ugs an' flees frae.

II. n. 1. Disgust, dislike, a sensation of nausea (ne.Sc., Ags. 1973). Freq. in phr. to take an ug at, to take a dislike to. Deriv. ugf(o)u, adj., sickening, disgusting. Also used adv., in a disgusted or scandalized manner.Bnff. a.1829 J. Sellar Poems (1844) 21:
Ye needna gang by me sae ugfu'.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 120, 203:
The ongang it they keepit wee ane anither wiz jist ugfou. . . . He took an ug at's meht.Abd. 1955 W. P. Milne Eppie Elrick vii.:
Tammas hid teen a terrible ugg at 'e chiel.

2. An object of disgust, a person of disagreeable, disgusting manners (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 203; Bnff., Abd. 1973). Also in n.Eng. dial.

3. Vomited matter. Cf. I. 2.Dmf. 1797 Edb. Mag. (Dec.) 458:
See how he's speuing yont the muckle stool, It maks na' tho' he i' the burn was thrawn Whilk scouders a' the ucc frae aff his glewin' hool.