agley

American  

[uh-glee, uh-gley, uh-glahy] / əˈgli, əˈgleɪ, əˈglaɪ /

Or agly

adverb

Chiefly Scot.

1. off the right line; awry; wrong.

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agley British  

/ əˈɡliː, əˈɡliː, əˈɡleɪ, əˈɡlaɪ /

adverb

1. awry; askew

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Etymology

Origin of agley

1775–85; a- ¹ + gley glee ²

Example Sentences

Simon adjusted his wig, which had gang agley once more.

From Literature

To “gang aft agley” means to “often go astray.”

From Literature

“And be optimistic, Penny! For the unexpected does, quite frequently, happen. As the poet said, ‘The best-laid plans of wolves and men gang aft agley.’”

From Literature

We believed in family planning, but, as poet Robert Burns noted in his rustic dialect: “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley.”

From Washington Post

Our schemes were wonderfully — but exhaustingly — agley.

From Washington Post