Wrinkled, twisted, or contorted; possibly marked by worry or care lines on the face.
Possibly a past participle of a dialectal verb 'carkle,' which may be related to 'carking' or could derive from a separate root meaning to wrinkle or twist. The etymology is uncertain but suggests physical signs of worry.
This rare word might be British dialect capturing something specific—the physical appearance of worry and age written on a face, but it's so obscure that even lexicographers debate its exact meaning!
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