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 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 6 Jun 2023 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/moger_v1_n1>
