subs. (colloquial).—A bungle; MESS (q.v.); HASH (q.v.): generic for clumsy disorder: also BOGGLE-DE-BOTCH and BOGGLEDY-BOTCH. Also as verb (and to TAKE BOG) = (1) to bungle, to make a mess of; and (2) to scruple, to hesitate; to fight shy of. Also BOGGLER.
c. 1400. [ELLIS, Letters, 2 S. i. 15. To BOGIL us (delay)].
d. 1663. SANDERSON, Works, ii, 230. Daily experience showeth that many men who make no conscience of a lie, do yet TAKE SOME BOG at an oath.
1706. WARD, The Wooden World Dissected, 10. He BOGGLES at no imaginary quicksands.
1749. SMOLLETT, Gil Blas (1812) I, v. I don’t believe thee fool enough to BOGGLE at living with robbers … dost thou think there are any honester people in the world than we?
1834. EDGEWORTH, Helen, xxvi. A fine BOGGLE-DE-BOTCH I have made of it … I am aware it is not a canonical word,—classical, I mean; nor in nor out of any dictionary perhaps—but when people are warm, they cannot stand picking terms.
