Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
MOGER, v.1, n.1 Also mo(a)gre; mooger; -ard; and n.Sc. forms myogre, mya(u)gre. [′m(j)o:gər; ′mjɑ:gər]
I. v. To work about in a slovenly, aimless manner (wm.Sc., Kcb. 1963); to make a mess of something or botch a piece of work with clumsy dirty handling (Cai. 1903 E.D.D.; Cai., Crm., Ayr. 1919 T.S.D.C.); to dabble in a soft messy material (Mry. 1911; Cai. 1934); to roll in the gutter (Crm. 1919 T.S.D.C.); to soil with excrement. Ppl.adjs. mogert, moogart, rendered useless, bogged down; mogran, clumsy, botching (Cai. 1919 T.S.D.C.). Deriv. mogeration, a muddle, mess (Ayr. 1963).Ayr. 1923 Wilson Dial. Burns 98:
She jist mogert aboot in durt.Bnff.2 1930:
In sic a weety hairst, binders and reapers were left moogart on the eyn-rigs.Dmf., Gall. 1955:
To be aye mogerin aboot — to keep working on rather aimlessly, said of a person who just can't sit down and settle.Ayr. 1999:
Ye've mogred yersel. Ye've mogred yer troosers.
Deriv. moogart, a worthless person or thing (Cai. 1903 E.D.D.), with -art suff. for -er.
II. n. 1. A muddle, a state of great confusion, a mess, a bungle (Cld. 1825 Jam.; Cai. 1907 County Cai. (Horne) 79, moogard; Cai., wm.Sc., Kcb. 1963).Cai. 1903 E.D.D.:
To mak a mogre of a job, to spoil it by clumsiness.
2. A slovenly, clumsy person (Ayr. 1919 T.S.D.C., Ayr. 1963).
[? A freq. form of Mog, v., phs. influenced by Eng. dial. mucker, to be dirty, work in dirt or confusion, a mess, muddle.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Moger v.1, n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 22 Nov 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/moger_v1_n1>
