pockle
Irish & Scottish
verb
1Move or walk clumsily: mothers are still pockling around in their dressing gowns...
- I'll be pockling along at the rear with some fellow veteran stragglers.
- Must have made quite a pleasant change for the players to sit back and watch the punters pockle for once.
- Sarah pockled towards the sideboard.
2Use underhanded or unfair means in order to obtain (a result or benefit): the council workers had pockled their tickets...
- She said he had "pockled the figures".
- People's deposits were regularly pockled by unscrupulous landlords.
- The auditors reckon there is a 3.9% error rate which is a euphemism for the money being pockled.
noun
A clumsy or awkward person: you must think he is a bit of a pockle when in actual fact he’s an outstanding talent...
- He's a big pockle.
- The teams have more pockles in their ranks than we actually realise.
- I don't want the bin men thinkin' I drink like thon other auld pockle in the flat above me.
Origin
Mid 18th century: from the Scots pauchle 'a bundle', probably formed on pack1 and influenced in sense 2 of the verb by bauchle 'shambler, ne'er-do-well'.