1 a man, usually a stranger; a male house-dweller; a non-Traveller: Did the gadgy hang upside down, Jessie, my wee lamb, like the bat? 19-.
2 a tramp 20.
3 an inspector from the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children who were greatly feared because of their power to remove children from the camp 20. etymology: possibly from Romany gorgio a non-Gypsyor, more likely, from Sanskrit gṛha ‘a house’; it could also possibly have a connection to Scots cadger ‘a travelling merchant’; originally a non-Traveller or non-Gypsy; sense 2 form gadgie only collected by EMcC/PS and attested by Galloway Tinkler-Gypsies; form gaugie attested by Perthshire and Argyleshire Tinkler-Gypsies and collected by Simson (1865) and attested by eight of his informants; form gadji attested by JS; form gauji collected by RD; form gadgé collected by Rev John Baird from Kirk Yetholm Gypsies; attested by SR, BS in TDITA. ET, BW, DW and DW in DC note:
This word has passed into use by the general population in various areas of Scotland and is also found in the North East of England. A nickname for Newcastle-upon-Tyne is gadgie toon.
Hayward attests mush, manush ‘man’ as the current Romany terms. However, Smart & Crofton (1875) give two forms Gairo ‘man’ and Gaújo ‘a male, Gentile. Stranger English person, one who is not a Gypsy.’ [ie a non-Gypsy].