Sir John Lack-Latin. See Lack-latin and add earlier quot. infra.
1535. Sir Francis Bygod, 'Against Impropriations.' [Oliphant, New Eng., i. 481. Bygod talks of a Sir John Lacke-latin.]
Sir Martin Wagstaffe, subs.
phr. (venery).—The penis: see
Prick.—Urquhart.
Sir Oliver. See Oliver.
Sir Petronel Flash. See
Petronel.
Sirrah! intj. (old).—An angry,
contemptuous, or jesting address:
also (modern) sirree! (or
sirree, bob!)
1526. Rastell, Hundred Merry Tales, 74. [The Sir is lengthened into] sirra.
1570. Levins, Manip. Vocab., i. 6. serrha, heus, io.
1600. Jonson, Cynthia's Revels, ii, 1. Page, boy, and sirrah: these are all my titles.
1608. Shakspeare, Antony and Cleopatra, v. 2, 229. Sirrah Iras, go!
1617. Minsheu, Guide to Tongues. Sirra, a contemptuous word, ironically compounded of Sir and a, ha, as much as to say ah, sir, or sir boy, &c.
1615. Daniel, Hymen's Triumph, 313. Ah, sirrah, have I found you? are you heere.
1688. Shadwell, Sq. of Alsatia, ii. Look on my finger, sirrah, look here; here's a famble.
d.1721. Prior, Cupid and Ganymede. Guess how the goddess greets her son: Come hither, sirrah; no begone.
1848. Ruxton, Far West, 3. No sirre-e; I went out when Spiers lost his animals.
1857. Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 'Sir, are you drunk?' The juror . . . in a bold, half-defiant tone replied, 'No, sirree, bob!' 'Well . . . I fine you five dollars for the 'ree' and ten for the 'bob.'
1900. Brought to Bay, ii. 'So the title is secure?' . . . 'Yes, sir-ee!'
Sirretch, subs. (back slang).—A
cherry.
Sir- (or save-) reverence, subs.
verb, and intj. (old colloquial).—1.
An apology: the commonest
of expressions, for nearly six centuries,
on mentioning anything
likely to offend, or for which an
excuse was thought necessary.
Whence (2) = excrement, a turd
(q.v.); and as verb. = (1) to shit
(q.v.), and (2) to excuse oneself.
[Lat. salvâ reverentiâ, whence
sa'reverence, sur-reverence,
and sir-reverence.]
1356. Mandeville, Travels, 185. But aftre my lytylle wytt, it semethe me, savynge here reverence, that it is more.
1586. Warner, Alb. Eng., ii. 10. And all for love (surreverence love!) did make her chew the cudde.
1592. Greene, Blacke Bookes Messenger [Works, xi. 33]. His head, and his necke, were all besmeared with the soft sirreverence, so as he stunke worse than a Jakes Farmer.
1593. Shakspeare, Comedy of Errors, iii. 2. A very reverend body: ay, such a one as a man may not speak of, without he say, sir-reverence. Ibid. (1595), Romeo and Juliet, i. 4. We'el draw you from the mire Of this sir-reverence, love, wherein thou stickest Up to the ears.
1594. Lyly Mother Bombie, i. 2. Saving a reverence, that's a lie!
1596. Harrington, Metam. Ajax [Letter prefixed to]. The third I cannot name wel without save-reverence, and yet it sounds not unlike the shooting place.
1605. Jonson, Chapman, &c., Eastward Hoe, iv. 1. We shall as soon get a fart from a dead man . . . Sister, sir-reverence!
1607. Puritan, iii. 1. A man that would . . . go ungartered, unbuttoned, nay (sir-reverence!) untrussed, to morning prayer.
1614. Jonson, Bartholomew Fair, iv. 1. His wife, sir reverence, cannot get him make his water, or shift his shirt, without his warrant.
