1601 J. Wheeler Treat. Commerce 53 Such stragling by free, and vnfree English vsed in Germanie, and the townes of the Lowe Countries out of the Marte townes, is so vnseemely, vnmerchantlike [etc.].

1622 E. Misselden Free Trade 80 Having lost their Priuiledges, partly by their owne Stragling.

1847 Infantry Man. (1854) 99 The prevention of straggling is..part of the duties of a rear guard.

1862 Queen's Regul. Nav. Service 213 In cases of Desertion, a reward not exceeding 3l., and in cases of Straggling not exceeding 1l., is to be paid.

1893 Nation (N.Y.) 2 Feb. 86/2 Straggling cuts a considerable figure in Col. Allan's as well as in other Southern estimates of Lee's forces.

1912 London, Edinb. & Dublin Philos. Mag. 6th Ser. 23 902 After going a given time the α particles will have straggled out, and some will be moving faster than others. I have not succeeded in finding the amount of this straggling.

1930 E. Rutherford et al. Radiations from Radioactive Substances iv. 112 The first experiments to estimate the straggling of the α particles were made by the scintillation method.

1950 D. Halliday Introd. Nucl. Physics iv. 121 We can have straggling effects caused by varying energy losses in the source (source straggling), by departure of the beam from parallelism (angular straggling), and by characteristics of the detecting and recording equipment (instrument straggling).

1971 Canad. Jrnl. Physics 49 1015 (caption) Comparison of experimental and theoretical range and range straggling values of ²²⁴Ra ions in gases.

1979 Physical Rev. A. 19 111/1 Measurements of the energy straggling of ¹⁶O ions with energies from 5 to 50 MeV passing through Al foils of thickness 100–500μg/cm² were described.

1589 Summarie Drakes W. Indian Voy. 36 Lest by some stragling Spaniards from the land, they might be warned by signes from comming in.

a1592 R. Greene Hist. Orlando Furioso (1594) sig. Bii What is Orlando but a stragling mate, Banisht for some offence by Charlemaine.

1592 F. Bacon Observ. Libel in Resuscitatio (1657) 121 A wrangling Neighbour, that may Trespass, now and then, upon some Stragling ships of ours.

?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads x. 178 To approue, if any stragling mate He can surprise neare th' vtmost tents.

1632 Swedish Intelligencer i. 116 In passing thorow which [forest] many of his stragling Souldiers were knockt downe by the Boores of the Countrey.

1637 J. Milton Comus 17 Hath any ram..Slip't from the fold,..Or straggling weather the pen't flock forsook?

1643 in W. H. Black Docquets Lett. Patent at Oxf. (1837) 20 For restrayning of stragling and idle people from following the Army.

1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. iii. 151 They had now and then a straggling canoe or two of Indians.

1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. i. xi. 276 Some miserable pasture, just sufficient to keep alive a few straggling, half-starved cattle. View more context for this quotation

1841 M. Elphinstone Hist. India II. vii. ii. 143 The straggling survivors of his party assembled at the same place.

1842 S. Lover Handy Andy xix There were some straggling spectators besides, to witness the affair.

1866 M. E. Braddon Lady's Mile i. 1 Some half-dozen nurse-maids with their straggling charges.

1883 Coues in Encycl. Amer. I. 528/2 Aside from the straggling Haliaëtus albicilla and the South American harpy.., only two eagles are known to occur in North America.

1601 J. Wheeler Treat. Commerce 54 The gouerned and well~ordered trade of the M.M. Aduenturers Companie, is farre to be preferred before a dispersed, stragling, and promiscuous trade.

1601 J. Wheeler Treat. Commerce 55 A number of stragling Marchants resorting thither out of this Realme, the trade was vtterly spoiled.

1622 E. Misselden Free Trade 81 Which is an effect of a stragling vngouerned Trade.

a1626 J. Horsey Disc. Imploym. in E. A. Bond Russia at Close of 16th Cent. (1856) App. ii. 290 All interloperes and straglyng Englishemene lyving in that contrey [sc. Russia].

1851 H. Mayhew London Labour II. 21/1 This traffic [in second-hand weapons], which is known as a ‘straggling’ trade, pursued by men who are at the same time pursuing other street-callings.]

1674 A. Cremer tr. J. Scheffer Hist. Lapland 12 Their hair is thin, short and flaggy, their beard stragling and scarce covers their chins.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 60 Twine The Sallow Twigs to tye the stragling Vine. View more context for this quotation

1707 tr. P. Le Lorrain de Vallemont Curiosities in Husbandry & Gardening 254 Take off the Roots that are too long, and stragling.

1770 O. Goldsmith Deserted Village 193 Beside yon straggling fence that skirts the way.

1785 W. Cowper Task ii. 446 First we stroke An eye-brow; next, compose a straggling lock.

1851 A. Helps Compan. Solitude vi. 85 She..held up a straggling but pretty weed.

1860 W. M. Thackeray Lovel (1861) ii. 48 This gentleman with..the straggling beard.

1862 M. E. Braddon Lady Audley's Secret I. i. 3 They must have fallen but for the straggling ivy.

a1560 T. Phaer tr. Virgil Nyne Fyrst Bks. Eneidos (1562) ix. sig. Cciij^v I se y^e stragling starrs y^t from the poale their course declynes.

1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (1586) i. A 5 I doubt not nowe but to escape a few stragling shot in a light skirmish.

1627 T. May tr. Lucan Pharsalia (new ed.) x. T 3 b Hence nature did His straggling waues within high mountaines hide.

1823 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto VII lxxxvi. 108 With straggling light The stars peep through the vapours.

1847 C. J. Lever Knight of Gwynne xxiii The writing was straggling and irregular.

1871 L. Stephen Playground of Europe (1894) v. 134 We marched steadily forwards in a long straggling line.

1589 R. Greene Menaphon sig. G3^v When your straggling eye..would be gadding throughout euerie corner of our companie.

1608 Downame in Eng. Hist. Rev. (1909) Apr. 245 A few stragling sentences quoted out of the Fathers.

1614 D. Dyke Myst. Selfe-deceiuing xxii. 276 The spirit of prayer..chaseth away all stragling thoughts.

1615 R. Brathwait Strappado 10 May I speake more, for I am in a vaine, To cull strange things out of a stragling braine.

1676 W. Wycherley Plain-dealer ii. i Oliv. He a Wit!..he's only an Adopter of stragling Jests and fatherless Lampoons.

1678 T. Shadwell Hist. Timon iii. 50 O stragling Senses whither are you going?

1747 Frauds & Abuses Coal Trade (ed. 3) 13 To be Runner to a Coal-Owner to distribute Bills, and collect straggling Debts.

1854 T. Carlyle Jrnl. 29 Apr. in J. A. Froude T. Carlyle: Life in London (1884) II. xxii. 156 It must have been fourteen years later before I..began to have some distant straggling acquaintance of a personal kind with him.

1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iv. v. 217 There are two different kindes [of silver], the one they call stragling, the other fixed and setled.

1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey iii. 150 In the vally on the East side of the Citie, are many stragling buildings.

1700 J. Dryden Char. Good Parson in Fables 533 Wide was his Parish; not contracted close In Streets, but here and there a straggling House.

1751 S. Whatley England's Gazetteer at Bicister 'Tis a long, straggling T.

1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 2nd Ser. 248 That..ungainly looking man,..with the straggling black trousers, which reach about half-way down the leg of his boots.

1838 E. Bulwer-Lytton Alice II. v. i. 73 A straggling, irregular, but picturesque building.

1860 A. Trollope Castle Richmond I. vi. 99 The straggling mahogany table in the centre of the room, whose rickety legs gave way and came off whenever an attempt was made to move it.

1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirlaugh II. 187 An inn with a straggling collection of houses near it.

1894 S. J. Weyman Under Red Robe ii The cottages..ran in a straggling double line with many gaps.

1618 in J. Charnock Hist. Mar. Archit. (1801) II. 231 Wherein is sett downe how of the 182 sailes wanting, 104 may be supplyed with stragling sailes of other shipps.