Peggies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Wooden pegs or small stick-like tools used in some regional dialects, especially Scots, for pegging out washing or stirring laundry
2. Dialect name for wooden clothes pegs or washing dollies, the sticks used to agitate laundry in a tub
3. Regional terms for simple wooden pins or dollies used in washing clothes and fastening them to a line to dry

Etymology: "Peggies" is the plural of "peggy," a slang word whose origin lies in a personal name. "Peggy" is a familiar form of "Peggy," itself a diminutive of "Margaret," so the word is simply a pet name turned into a common noun. The name gained wide currency in English, and the nickname's ordinary use as a term for a person has been the basis for its slang sense.