There Cam a Cadger

There Cam a Cadger - meaning Summary

Comic Mischief in Domestic Scene

This short, comic poem tells a single anecdote in Scots dialect: a cadger (itinerant peddler) from Fife tricks the household woman by thrusting a long stick into her clothing, so she believes something has gone by her navel. The poem records a village prank as a compact, humorous episode, relying on vivid, colloquial speech and a straightforward narrative voice. It reads like oral gossip or a ballad fragment, capturing a brusque domestic moment and the poet’s interest in common life and local character.