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.
