stravaig, v. Chiefly Sc., north., and Ir.
(strəˈveɪg)
Also stravague, stravag(e.
[? Aphetic form of extravage v. (? for *extravague).]
intr. To wander about aimlessly. Also in general literary use, and occas. trans. with road as obj. Hence straˈvaiging (-gɪŋ) vbl. n. and ppl. a. Also straˈvaiger (-gə(r)).
| 1802 [see vague v.1 1 β]. 1821 Galt Ann. Parish xiii, Lady Macadam's hens and fowls..being great stravaggers for their meat. 1825 J. Wilson Noctes Ambr. Wks. 1855 I. 25 The belts o' plantations are no very wide nor the sherubberies stravagin awa' into wild mountainous regions o'..breckans. 1825 Brockett N.C. Gloss., Stravaiging, strolling about. 1831 S. Lover Legends & Stories of Ireland p. xxiv, Stravaig, to ramble. 1842 J. Wilson Chr. North III. 293 Those heartless clouds that keep stravaigging over mountain-tops. 1871 Black Dau. Heth xxiv, ‘Nonsense!’ said Lady Drum. ‘Would you have an old woman like me stravaiging about the shore by myself?’ 1876 C. M. Yonge Three Brides I. xvi. 279 Her own children, which it is a shame to see stravaging about the place! 1884 A. S. Swan Carlowrie x. 152 Miss Ritchie's peacock had taken what she called a stravagin' turn. 1887 Henley Villon's Straight Tip 23 At any graft, no matter what, Your merry goblins soon stravag. 1901 G. Douglas Ho. with Green Shutters 26 Where have you been stravaiging to? 1905 A. I. Shand Days of Past xiv. 275 Those stravaiging cottage cats. 1929 E. Bowen Last September i. viii. 93 They do be stravaging about always and not contented at all. 1934 T. E. Lawrence Let. 23 Nov. (1938) 830 Visit it, sometime, if you still stravage the roads of England in a great car. 1958 S. Beckett From Abandoned Work 14, I might be sprawling in the sun now sucking my pipe..wondering what there was for dinner, instead of stravaging the same old road in all weathers. |