Page:Farmer - Slang and its analogues past and present - Volume 7.pdf/35

 1614. Terence in English. You are the same man that you were: old surebie, no flinsher.

d.1657. Bradford, Sermons [Rept.]. Yes, there is one which is suresby as they say, to serve if anything will serve.

Surf, sub. (theatrical).—A half-and-half professional (q.v.) player or musician: combining some daily occupation with nightly duty on or in connection with the boards.

Surly, As surly as a butcher's dog, phr. (old).—Very surly (Ray).

Surly-boots (or Surling), subs. phr. (old).—A grumpy morose fellow: cf. Lazy-boots.

d.1623. Camden, Remains, 176. And as for these sowre surlings, they are to be commended to Sieur Gaulard.

1812. Coombe, Syntax, i. xxii. A sudden jolt their slumbers broke, They started all, and all awoke; When surly-boots yawn'd wide and spoke.

Surprisers (The), subs. phr. (military).—The 46th Foot, now the 2nd Batt. of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.

Surtout, subs. (B. E.).—'A loose, great, or riding Coat' (B. E.).

Surveyor of the Highway, subs. phr. (old).—A man reeling drunk (Grose): see Inspector.

Surveyor of the Pavement, subs. phr. (old).—A man in the pillory (Grose and Bee).

Suspense. In deadly suspense, adv. phr. (old).—Hanged (Grose).

Sus. per Coll., phr. (old).—'Hanged by the neck'—Lat. suspensus per collum. [Grose: 'persons who have been hanged are thus entered in the jailer's books.']

1850. Thackeray, Pendennis, ii. xxv. That lamentable note of sus. per coll. at the name of the last male of her line. Ibid. (1867), Denis Duval, i. None of us Duvals have been suspercollated to my knowledge.

Suspicion, subs. (colloquial).—A very small quantity: cf. Fr. soupçon.

1863. Hawthorne, Our Old Home. A mere spice or suspicion of austerity which made it all the more enjoyable.

1867. Trollope, Last Chronicles of Barset, xlix. He was engaged in brushing a suspicion of dust from his black gaiters.

1886. D. Tel, 25 Sep. With just a suspicion of Irish brogue that only serves to increase the interest of her piquancy and fun.

Verb. (American).—To suspect.

1889. Harper's Mag., lxxx. 349. They somehow suspicion'd he wasn't quite sound on hell.

1899. Westcott, David Harum, i. Didn't ye suspicion nuthin' when he took ye up like that?

Sut, adj. (tailors').—Satisfactory; fortunate.

Swab, subs. (old).—1. See Swabber.

2. (nautical).—A naval officer's epaulet: jocose or in contempt: cf. Swabber, sense i.

Swabber, subs. (old).—1. 'The sorriest sea-men put to wash and clean the ship' (B. E. and Grose: in this sense good Shakspearean English); hence (2) a term of contempt. Also Swab.

1602. Shakspeare, Twelfth Night, i. 5. 216. Mar. Will you hoist sail, sir? Vio. No, good swabber; I am to hull here a little longer. Ibid. (1609), ii. 2. 48. The master, the swabber, the boatswain, and I.