[-ING2.] That straggles. a. Of persons, animals, ships, etc.: Straying apart from companions or the main body; roving or wandering at random; † vagabond, vagrant.
† Straggling mate: a stray member of a company.
1589. Bigges, Summarie Drake’s W. Ind. Voy., 36. Lest by some stragling Spaniards from the land, they might be warned by signes from comming in.
1590. Greene, Orl. Fur., I. i. 170. What is Orlando but a stragling mate, Banisht for some offence by Charlemaine.
1593. Bacon, Observ. Libel, Resusc. (1657), 121. A wrangling Neighbour, that may Trespass, now and then, upon some Stragling ships of ours.
c. 1611. Chapman, Iliad, X. 178. To approue, if any stragling mate He can surprise neare th’ vtmost tents.
1632. Swed. Intelligencer, I. 116. In passing thorow which [forest] many of his stragling Souldiers were knockt downe by the Boores of the Countrey.
1634. Milton, Comus, 499. Hath any ram … Slip’t from the fold … Or straggling weather the pen’t flock forsook?
1643. Docq. Lett. Pat. at Oxf. (1837), 20. For restrayning of stragling and idle people from following the Army.
1748. Anson’s Voy., II. iii. 151. They had now and then a straggling canoe or two of Indians.
1776. Adam Smith, W. N., I. xi. (1869), I. 232. Some miserable pasture, just sufficient to keep alive a few straggling, half-starved cattle.
1841. Elphinstone, Hist. Ind., II. 143. The straggling survivors of his party assembled at the same place.
1842. Lover, Handy Andy, xix. There were some straggling spectators besides, to witness the affair.
1866. Miss 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 Haliaētus albicilla and the South American harpy…, only two eagles are known to occur in North America.
† b. Of a merchant: That trades in a market of which he is not free; interloping. Said also of trade thus practised. Obs.
c. 1592. Horsey, Trav., etc. (Hakl. Soc.), 290. All interloperes and straglyng Englishemene lyving in that contrey [Russia].
1601. J. Wheeler, Treat. Comm., 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. Ibid., 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.
[1851. Mayhew, Lond. 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.]
c. Of hair, plants, a hedge, etc.: Growing irregularly or dispersedly; shooting or spreading too far.
1674. trans. Scheffer’s Lapland, 12. Their hair is thin, short and flaggy, their beard stragling and scarce covers their chins.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., I. 358. Twine The Sallow Twigs to tye the stragling Vine.
1707. Curios. in Husb. & Gard., 254. Take off the Roots that are too long, and stragling.
1770. Goldsm., Des. Vill., 193. Beside yon straggling fence that skirts the way.
1784. Cowper, Task, II. 446. First we stroke An eye-brow; next, compose a straggling lock.
1851. Helps, Comp. Solit., vi. 85. She … held up a straggling but pretty weed.
1860. Thackeray, Lovel, ii. (1861), 48. This gentleman with … the straggling beard.
1862. Miss Braddon, Lady Audley, i. 5. They must have fallen but for the straggling ivy.
d. of inanimate moving objects, of the direction or course of a moving body, of handwriting, etc.
1560. Phaër, Æneid, IX. (1562), Cc iij b. I se ye stragling starrs yt from the poale their course declynes.
1581. Pettie, trans. Guazzo’s Civ. Conv., I. (1586), A 5. I doubt not nowe but to escape a few stragling shot in a light skirmish.
1627. May, Lucan, X. T 3 b. Hence nature did His straggling waues within high mountaines hide.
1822. Byron, Juan, VII. lxxxvi. With straggling light The stars peep through the vapours.
1847. Lever, Knt. Gwynne, xxiii. The writing was straggling and irregular.
1871. L. Stephen, Playgr. Eur. (1894), v. 134. We marched steadily forwards in a long straggling line.
e. fig. of immaterial things (e.g., thoughts, looks, words).
1589. Greene, Menaphon (Arb.), 63. When your straggling eye … would bee gadding throughout euerie corner of our companie.
1608. Downame, in Eng. Hist. Rev. (1909), April, 245. A few stragling sentences quoted out of the Fathers.
a. 1614. D. Dyke, Myst. Self-Deceiv., xxii. 276. The spirit of prayer … chaseth away all stragling thoughts.
1615. Brathwait, Strappado, 10. May I speake more, for I am in a vaine, To cull strange things out of a stragling braine.
1676. Wycherley, Pl. Dealer, II. i. Oliv. He a Wit!… he’s only an Adopter of stragling Jests and fatherless Lampoons.
1678. Shadwell, Timon, 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. Carlyle, in Froude, Life Lond. (1884), II. 156. It must have been fourteen years later before I … began to have some distant straggling acquaintance of a personal kind with him.
f. Of stationary objects: Scattered or arranged irregularly. Of a road, tract of country: Winding irregularly, having an irregular outline. Of a house, town, etc.: Built irregularly and uncompactly.
1604. E. G[rimstone], D’Acosta’s 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, Trav., III. 150. In the vally on the East side of the Citie, are many stragling buildings.
1700. Dryden, Fables, Char. Good Parson, 61. Wide was his Parish; not contracted close In Streets, but here and there a straggling House.
1778. Eng. Gazetteer (ed. 2), s.v. Bicister, ’Tis a long, straggling town.
1835. Dickens, Sk. Boz, Parl. Sketch. That … ungainly-looking man,… with the straggling black trousers, which reach about half-way down the leg of his boots.
1838. Lytton, Alice, V. i. A straggling, irregular, but picturesque building.
1860. Trollope, Castle Richmond, vi. 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 Skirl., II. 187. An inn with a straggling collection of houses near it.
1894. Weyman, Under Red Robe, ii. The cottages … ran in a straggling double line with many gaps.
g. Occurring casually or occasionally, ‘stray.’
1618. in J. Charnock, Hist. Mar. Archit. (1801), II. 231. Wherein is sett downe bow of the 182 sailes wanting, 104. may be supplyed with stragling sailes of other shipps.
Hence Stragglingly adv.
1579–80. North, Plutarch, Dion (1595), 1047. The other that could not get in in time, fledde straglingly vp and downe.
1650. A. B., Mutat. Polemo, 24. So they stragglingly departed like fools.
1668. Lond. Gaz., No. 230/2. About 160 German Souldiers being straglingly arrived at Milan, were by the Governours Order disposed of.
1693. Evelyn, De la Quint. Compl. Gard., II. 190. If we be not careful to thin it,… it … grows weak, and shoots its Leaves straglingly outward.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist., II. 220. [The Tartars] have but little beard, which grows straglingly on the chin.
1818. Ann. Reg., Chron., etc. 479/1. The town stands stragglingly on an abrupt slope.
1884. Howells, in Harper’s Mag., Dec., 125/1. Roberts, Lawton, and Bemis follow stragglingly.
