Forms: 4– souse, 4–8 sowse (6 sawse, sewse), 7 souze, 7–8 sowze, 9 dial. soose; 5–7 sowce, 6–7, 9 souce. [f. SOUSE sb.1, or ad. OF. *souser.]
I. trans. 1. To prepare or preserve (meat, fish, etc.) by steeping in some kind of pickle, esp. one made with vinegar or other tart liquor.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), VII. 217. Þere Tostius hakked his broþer servantes, and sowsede here lemes, and sente word to þe kyng þat … he schulde have salt mete i-now.
c. 1400. Maundev. (1839), xxiii. 251. Thei sleen hem alle, and kutten of hire Eres, and sowcen hem in Vynegre.
c. 1430. Two Cookery-bks., 12. An ȝif it sowsyd be, lete it stepe a whyle in hot water tyl it be tendere.
a. 1500[?]. Chester Pl. (Shaks. Soc.), I. 123. Loe! heares a sheepes heade sawsed in ale.
1530. Palsgr., 725/2. I souce meate, I laye it in some tarte thynge, as they do brawne or suche lyke.
1597. Breton, Wit’s Trenchmour, Wks. (Grosart), II. 11/1. A Tench sowsed, a Smelt fried, and a Shrimp new sodden, are serued in their best kindes.
1641. W. Cartwright, Lady-Errant, V. i. If they catch the Amazons, They sowce ’em straight, as we do pig, by quarters, Or else do pickle ’em up for winter sallads.
1697. Phil. Trans., XIX. 618. An excellently well tasted fish, especially when soused.
1771. Mrs. Haywood, New Present for Maid, 268. To souce a Capon.
1782. Miss Burney, Cecilia, V. ix. Got a lobster, and two crabs;… stink already;… forced to souse ’em in vinegar.
1859. Trollope, West Indies, iii. 44. No Horace will teach us … how best to souse our living poultry, so that their fibres when cooked may not offend our teeth.
fig. 1625. B. Jonson, Staple of N., IV. iv. (1905), 95. Fine Songs, Which we will haue at dinner, steept in claret, And against supper, sowc’t in sacke.
a. 1704. T. Brown, Contin. Quaker’s Serm., Wks. 1709, III. II. 4. Sowse us therefore in the Powdering-Tub of thy Mercy, that we may be Tripes fit for the Heavenly Table.
b. transf. To steep or soak in honey, oil, etc.
1636. Davenant, Wits (1673), 206. You talk’d too of fat Snails … Sous’d in Luca Oyl.
1658. trans. Porta’s Nat. Magick, IV. ix. 129 [131]. Pliny would have them [Quinces] first to be smeared over with wax, and then to be sowsed in honey.
2. To plunge or immerse (a person, etc.) deeply or thoroughly in or into water, etc. Also with other preps. and without const.
(a) 1470–85. Malory, Arthur, IX. xix. 366. He sousyd sire Dagonet in that welle.
1530. Palsgr., 725/2. He souced him in the water over heed and eares.
1570. B. Googe, Pop. Kingd., III. (1880), 31. But such as … unbelieuers be, No pardon haue though ten times in the fludde they sowsed be.
1600. Surflet, Countrie Farme, I. xxviii. 170. To souse him euery day … in sea water, three or fower times a day.
1660. R. Coke, Power & Subj., 158. To be soused over head and ears in cold water.
1703. Steele, Tender Husb., III. iii. When I like thee, may I be soused over head and ears in a horse-pond!
1836. Sir G. Head, Home Tour, 418. Twice during the passage, one horse … as narrowly as possible escaped being soused in the canal.
1865. M. Arnold, Ess. Crit., viii. 267. A blazing caldron in which Beelzebub is sousing the damned.
(b) 1616. Surflet & Markh., Country Farme, I. lxvii. 328. You shall gently take the Hiue from the stone, and sowse it into a sowe of water.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 15, ¶ 2. He sous’d me Head and Ears into a Pail of Water.
1720. Pol. Ballads (1860), II. 203. For now the contrivers are tipt with a fee If they souse the subscribers into the South Sea.
1793. Regal Rambler, 64. He … overturned Master Tommy … and soused him into a deep ditch.
1807–8. W. Irving, Salmag. (1824), 328. To ascertain the fact by sousing him into a kettle of hot water.
(c) 1596. Nashe, Saffron Walden, 4. Like a horse plunging through the myre in the deep of winter, now soust vp to the saddle, and straight aloft on his tiptoes.
1663. J. Heath, Flagellum, 13. The said Master of Mis-rule perceiving the matter, caused him … to be thrown into a Pond adjoyning to the House, and there to be sous’d over head and ears.
1736. Fielding, Pasquin, IV. Wks. 1784, III. 282. One … tumbled down, And he and all his briefs were sous’d together.
1806. J. Neild, in T. J. Pettigrew, Mem. J. C. Lettsom (1817), II. 197. On this [chair] the woman was placed, and soused three times under water.
b. In pa. pple. with implication of sense 3.
1508. Fisher, 7 Penit. Ps. cxlii. Wks. (1876), 244. The synner is lyke vnto a sowe sowsed in dyrte & myre.
1580. Blundevil, Horsemanship, IV. xxxvi. 17 b. Take a peece of Sponge sowsed well in strong Vineger.
1633. P. Fletcher, Purple Isl., VII. lxxiii. His soul quite sowced lay in grapie bloud.
1712. Arbuthnot, John Bull (1727), 109. Like Ulysses upon his plank after he had been well soused in salt-water.
1747. Richardson, Clarissa (1811), II. xxiii. 149. To send her home well soused in … our deepest horse-pond.
1845. Darwin, Voy. Nat., iv. (1876), 76. My animal fell, and I was well soused in black mire.
c. fig. or in fig. context.
1567. Satir. Poems Reform., iv. 100. Quhat toung … in silence suir can rest? To se ane saule in sorow sowsit.
1583. Greene, Mamillia, Wks. (Grosart), II. 117. This new betrothed couple … are … soused in the seas of sorrow.
1646. G. Daniel, Poems, Wks. (Grosart), II. 4. Some souce in bitter Inke, The venome which they thinke, To taxe the Times.
1680. Otway, Caius Marius, IV. i. Let us to yon adjacent Village, and sowse our selves in good Falernium.
a. 1734. North, Examen, I. i. § 21 (1740), 25. Then comes the Treaty and we know not which way to turn, till the Author souces us down in Intrigue.
1781. C. Johnston, Hist. J. Juniper, II. 236. The poverty I had lately been soused in, sweetened my present affluence.
1897. Mary Kingsley, W. Africa, 146. But the planter tells him all, sousing him in torrents of words.
3. To drench or soak with water, etc.
a. 1542. Wyatt, Mean & Sure Estate, Poems (1810), 385. The stormy blastes her caue so sore did sowse;… That … She must lye colde, and wet.
1555. Bradford, in Coverdale’s Lett. Martyrs (1564), 281. The showres that ye nowe feele and are soused in.
1594. Merry Knack to know a Knave, in Hazl., Dodsley, VI. 565. Sous’d with the surge of Neptune’s wat’ry main.
1630. J. Taylor (Water P.), Discov. by Sea, Wks. II. 22/1. We were enclosed with most dangerous sands. There were we sowsd & slabber’d, wash’d & dash’d.
1786. Mme. D’Arblay, Diary, 6 Oct. After being wet through over head, and soused through under feet,… what lives we do lead!
1810. E. D. Clarke, Trav. Russia (1839), 34/1. I descended a second time, and was again soused with vessels of water.
1822. Miss Mitford, in L’Estrange, Life (1870), II. vii. 153. I am afraid [he] got soused in the thunderstorm, owing to his gallantry.
1871. Meredith, H. Richmond, xi. Then the engines arrived and soused the burning houses.
b. fig. in various senses. † In 18th cent., to impose upon, to swindle, etc.
1545. Primer Henry VIII. (Parker Soc.), 92. We have now suffered much punishment, being soused with so many wars.
1548. Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. John, viii. 59. Inwardly in their hertes soused and washed with much more enormious sin.
1608. Middleton, Trick to Catch Old One, I. iv. 68. I soused ’em with bills of charges.
1678. Otway, Friendship in F., IV. i. Death, and the Devil! how that puny Rogue Valentine has souced me?
1778. Foote, Trip Calais, I. Wks. 1799, II. 341. I reckon, your lordships were swingingly sous’d on the road?
1832. W. Cobbett, Rur. Rides (1885), II. 383. The Dean and Chapter of Durham … souse him so often with their fines.
1901. Daily News, 2 March, 3/4. When the guns and pom-poms came into action at a gallop and soused the kopjes with shells.
c. Of rain or water: To drown out (a fire).
1891. Baring-Gould, In Troubadour-Land, viii. 110–1. I found that rain and wind had blown and soused out their little fire.
† 4. With up: ? To bring to extremities. Obs.
1534. More, Comf. agst. Trib., I. Wks. 1163/1. Let hym go to no leache craft, nor any maner phisick,… for sirops shold sowce him vp.
c. 1557. How a Serjeaunt, 20, in Hazl., E. P. P., III. 120. An olde trotte … With hir phisicke will keepe one sicke, till she haue sowsed him vp.
5. To dash or pour (a quantity of water or something containing this). Const. into, on, etc.
1859. Geo. Eliot, A. Bede, xxviii. ‘Dip my cravat in and souse it on my head.’ The water seemed to do him some good.
1901. Buchanan, Poems, 44 (E.D.D.). A pail o’ cauld water … was soosed into my face.
II. intr. 6. To soak; to be or become soaked or drenched; to fall with a plunge; to go plunging or sinking in water, etc.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xxvi. 123. Þai … layes þam in vynegre for to sowce.
1584–7. Greene, Carde of Fancie, Wks. (Grosart), IV. 81. Iupiter himselfe,… if I had sowsed in the roaring Seas,… would haue prouided some happie Dolphin.
1593. Nashe, Christ’s T. (Grosart), IV. 54. All the sinnes of the first World now welter, souse, and beate vnquietly in the Sea.
1678. Shipman, Hen. III of France, II. ii. 23.
| Then through the lowest Region I flew, | |
| Sousing through falling Bogs of Dew. |
1679. Alsop, Melius Inq., II. iii. 256. Men of parts … are necessitated to sowze over head and ears into Compliance at first Dash.
1781. Mme. D’Arblay, Lett. to Mrs. Thrale, 6 Feb. How shall I keep from stepping into a post-chaise, and sousing through Gascoyne Lane to look alter you?
1840. Thackeray, Barber Cox, Sept. The vessel rode off a little, the board slipped, and down I soused into the water.
1898. M. Hewlett, Forest Lovers, vi. It’s a pity to disturb this baby of mine. Saracen and I had better souse.
b. dial. To have a thorough wash.
1895. Dial. Notes (Amer. Dial. Soc.), I. 400. I’ll go and souse.
1897. Jane, Lordship, xvii. 201. Sousing down to the waist every Sabbath morning.
† 7. To flow or fall in copious streams. Obs.
1591. Drayton, Harmony of the Church (Percy Soc.), 14. The surging seas came sousing in againe.
