2. (old).—A small piece; a thing or matter of little value.
1362. Langland, Piers Plowman (B), xiii. 124. For one Piers the Ploughman hath inpugned vs alle, And sette alle sciences at a soppe saue loue one.
3. (common).—A simpleton; a 'milk-sop.'
A sop in the pan, subs. phr. (colloquial).—1. A dainty; and (2) a favour.
1621. Fletcher, Pilgrim, iii. 7. Stir no more abroad, but tend your business; You shall have no more sops i' the pan else.
Soph, subs. (Cambridge Univ.).—A
sophister: in U.S.A. sophomore;
'a student beyond his first
year' (Grose). The terms are
1st year, Freshman; 2nd year,
Junior Soph; 3rd year, Senior
Soph. See Harry Soph.
1719. Durfey, Wit and Mirth. I am a jolly Soph.
1726. Pope, Dunciad, ii. 379. Three Cambridge sophs and three past Templars came.
1870. Goodrich [Webster Unabridged, s.v. Sophomose]. This word, generally considered an American barbarism, was probably introduced at a very early period from the Univ. of Cambridge, England. Among the cant terms at that University as given in the 'Gradus ad Cantab' [1803] we find Sophmor. It is added that Mor = Gr., moria introduced at a time when the Enconium Moriæ, the Praise of Folly by Erasmus was so generally used. The ordinary derivation of the word from sophos and moros would seem, therefore, to be incorrect [Abridged].
Sore-fist, subs. phr. (tailors').—A
bad workman: cf. to write a
poor hand (ibid.) = to sew badly.
Sore leg, subs. phr. (military).—1.
German sausage. Also 2.
(streets') = a plum-pudding;
spotted-dog (q.v.).
Sorrel-pate, subs. phr. (B. E. and
Grose).—A red-haired man;
carrots (q.v.).
Sorrowful tale, subs. phr.
(rhyming).—Three months in jail.
Sorry, adj. (Grose).—'Vile,
mean, worthless: a sorry fellow
or hussy, a worthless man or
woman.'
Intj. (colloquial).—'I beg your pardon.'
Sort, subs. (colloquial).—Sort (=
kind) in its colloquial usages
is frequently elliptical. Thus,
'That's your sort' (of method,
fancy, thing, &c.); 'after a
sort' (of fashion—'well enough
of its kind'); a good (or
bad) sort (of man, fellow, lot,
&c.). Out of sorts = (1) seedy
(q.v.); (2) = cross, depressed;
and (3) = old, destitute. Sorter
(American) = sort of.
d. 1536. Tyndale, Works, i. 274. [Oliphant, New Eng., i. 433. Sort stands for homo, much as we say he is a bad lot.]
1590. E. Webbe, Travels (Arber), 34. Now to . . . declare vnto you in what sort I imploide my selfe since my first entring into Englande.
1595. Shakspeare, 3 Hen VI., v. 5. Now march we hence: discharge the common sort with pay and thanks. Ibid. (1609), Tempest, ii. 1, 102. Is not, sir, my doublet as fresh as the first day I wore it? I mean, in a sort.
1603-15. Court and Times Chas. I., I. 6. The Duke's journey to France is laid down: and yet they say the business goeth on in a sort.
1622. Fletcher, Prophetess, iii. 1. Give your petitions in seemly sort, and keep your hats off decently.
1678. Ray, Proverbs, 304. Many a man of good extraction coming home from far voyages, may chance to land here, and, being out of sorts, is unable for the present time and place to recruit himself with clothes.
1680. Betterton, Revenge, iv. Why girl . . . you're all out of sorts: I thought thy tongue and heels could never have been idle.
1779. D'Arblay, Diary, Jan., 'To Mr. Crisp.' I was most violently out of sorts, and really had not spirits to answer it.
