scrigglyadj.
/ˈskrɪɡl̩i/, /ˈskrɪɡli/, U.S. /ˈskrɪɡ(ə)li/ 1. That wriggles, wriggly. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in specific manner > writhing or twisting movement > [adjective] > wriggling > characterized by or given to
wriggling1608
squirmy1836
eely1862
wriggly1866
scriggly1888
1888 G. M. Fenn Dick o' the Fens 232 The scriggly legs of a beetle.
1986 R. Forrest Lark xviii. 224 I went fishing with him once, but putting those scriggly worms on hooks—ugh.
2. Of writing, a line, a text, etc.: scribbly, scrawly.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > handwriting or style of > [adjective] > bad > illegible or untidy
unlegible1451
foul?1467
scribbled1550
scribbling1592
crabbed1612
hieroglyphical1613
scrabbled1625
illegible1640
unreadable1655
scribbly1659
pot-hook1674
scrawlinga1754
undecipherable1758
scribblative1829
scrawly1833
scrawny1833
scrawled1848
hieroglyphic1856
pot-hooky1867
scriggly1896
chicken scratch1933
1896 Jrnl. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 10 ii. 164 A third [clutch of eggs] is densely covered with short scriggly lines of very dark purple-brown.
1905 Daily Chron. 16 Nov. 4/6 L. F. Austin's scriggly manuscript.
1977 Anderson (Indiana) Daily Bull. 15 Apr. 1/4 Architects do a lot more than just make scriggly marks which only they can understand.
2000 E. Murray South of Eden (2001) vi. 57 The few lines written in scriggly longhand were impossible to read.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1888