The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #97028   Message #1908274
Posted By: Jim Dixon
13-Dec-06 - 07:22 AM
Thread Name: Origins of raggle-taggle
Subject: RE: raggle-taggle
Possibly relevant definitions from Dictionary of the Scots Language (citations deleted)

RAGGLE
I. v.intr. To wrangle, dispute, bicker, banter; to haggle in bargaining
II. n. A wrangle, dispute, argument
[? Conflation of wrangle and haggle. ?]

RAG
I. n.
  1. A disturbance, a noisy dispute; a scolding.
  2. Phrs.:
    (1) geed at 'e rag, voluble in taunting and chaffing
    (2) to hae a rag oot o, to enjoy a joke at another's expense, to get a laugh out of
    (3) to tak the rag o, to make sport of, make a fool of
II. v. To scold, rate, reproach severely

Taigle,
v. to disarrange, bring into disorder.
tr. To hinder, impede (a person) in a course of action; to keep back, delay (a person

TAIGLE
I. v.
  1. tr. To tangle, confuse, entangle, muddle
  2. To detain, keep back, hinder, harass, trammel, get in the way of ...
  4. tr. To confound or get the better of in an argument, to quiz, bamboozle, to outsmart; to perplex
  5. To delay, linger, dawdle, wait
  6. tr. and intr. To drag (the feet) slowly and heavily, to walk along slowly, to take halting steps.
II. n.
  1. A hindrance, delay, or cause of delay
  2. A tangle, a muddle
  3. A ruffle so as to make untidy
  4. An idle lounging person, a dawdling slut