BOGGLE


Meaning of BOGGLE in English

I. ˈbägəl verb

( boggled ; boggled ; boggling ˈbäg(ə)liŋ ; boggles )

Etymology: perhaps from boggle (III)

intransitive verb

1.

a. : to make a sudden jerky movement (as of alarm) : start with fright : shy

the prisoner boggled at the sight of the gallows

b. : to be startled (as with amazement or surprise) : be overwhelmed : be set reeling

the reporters boggled over the president's sensational press statement

the imagination boggles at the thought of interstellar distances

2.

a. : to move hesitatingly or evasively : hold back from decisive action (as through doubt, fear, or scruples) : show indecision : shilly-shally

his responsibilities coupled with his marked inepitude caused him to be perpetually boggling

b. : to raise objections usually minor or petty : hang back from full acceptance or agreement : demur , stickle , haggle

no matter how good the argument, he would always pick out something to boggle about

3. : to perform an action awkwardly : work unskillfully : make clumsy efforts

uses only one epithet, but it is the right one, and never boggles and patches — Leslie Stephen

: bungle , blunder

boggling along through the job

transitive verb

1.

a. : to overwhelm with wonder or bewilderment

b. dialect Britain : embarrass , perplex

boggled by his father's unexpected return

2. : to attend to in an awkward clumsy manner : bungle

boggling the little affairs of his own life — Paul de Kruif

Synonyms: see demur

II. noun

( -s )

1. : the action of boggling

2. archaic : a difficult, unpleasant, or bungled situation

III.

variant of bogle

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.