god bless the duke of argyle!
Preserved but no longer current.
A Scottish insinuation made when one shrugs his shoulders, of its being caused by parasites or cutaneous affections.—See SCOTCH FIDDLE, SCOTCH GREYS. It is said to have been originally the thankful exclamation of the Glasgow folk, at finding a certain row of iron posts, erected by his grace in that city to mark the division of his property, very convenient to rub against.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “god bless the duke of argyle!” mean?
A Scottish insinuation made when one shrugs his shoulders, of its being caused by parasites or cutaneous affections.—See SCOTCH FIDDLE, SCOTCH GREYS. It is said to have been originally the thankful exclamation of the Glasgow folk, at finding a certain row of iron posts, erected by his grace in that city to mark the division of his property, very convenient to rub against.
Is “god bless the duke of argyle!” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.