sourn.2
/saʊə/ An act of souring, spec. in bleaching (see sour n.1 2).
ΚΠ
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 135 If the goods be strong, they will require another boil, steep, and sour.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
souradj.n.1
/saʊə/ A. adj.
I. Senses relating to acrid or tart taste.
1.
a. Having a tart or acid taste, such as that which is characteristic of unripe fruits and vinegar. Also said of taste. (Opposed to sweet, and distinguished from bitter.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > sourness or acidity > [adjective]
sourc1000
sourish1398
acetosea1400
eagerc1405
acetous?a1425
crabbed1565
sharpish1589
unsugared1592
flatten1594
Amerine1601
acetosous1605
acerba1616
acid1626
acidulous1674
salso-acid1697
acescent1707
sugarless1785
acidulent1800
blink1883
brut1891
c1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 132 Genim surne æppel..& lege on.
c1000 Sax. Leechd. III. 212 Winberian sure geseon, sace getacnað.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 129 Þet ðet weter of egypte wes liðe and swete þan folce of israel þe wes sur and bitere..þon monnen of þan londe.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 82 More hi uynt smak in ane zoure epple þanne ine ane huetene lhoue.
a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 72 Ase fele syþe..as sterres beþ in welkne ant grases sour ant suete.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xvi. 72 Þanne bereth þe croppe kynde fruite,..swete with-oute swellyng, soure worth it neuere.
c1460 Promptorium Parvulorum (Winch.) Eggyde, as teth ffor sowr ffrute.
1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope iv. i [The fox] sayd these raysyns ben sowre.
a1529 J. Skelton Phyllyp Sparowe (?1545) sig. A.iiiv The smokes sowre Of Proserpinas bowre.
1558 Bp. T. Watson Holsome Doctr. Seuen Sacramentes xi. f. lxiiiiv They also dyd eate the lambe with wylde and sowre lettes.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 57 The wyld sortes are both sowrer in taste, and smaller in leafe.
1639 J. Woodall Viaticum (new ed.) in Surgeons Mate (rev. ed.) 306 Add some few drops of oyle of Vitrioll, to make it somewhat sowre in taste.
1666 R. Boyle Origine Formes & Qualities 314 Each of them far more salt then Brine, or more sowr then the strongest Vinegar.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson iii. ii. 305 The woods afforded sweet and sower oranges.
1799 W. Tooke View Russ. Empire I. 288 Of proper sour waters which are applied to medicinal purposes.
1811 A. T. Thomson London Dispensatory iii. 413 These are substances which have a sour taste.
1836–41 W. T. Brande Man. Chem. (ed. 5) 370 Chloric acid is a sour liquid.
b. transferred. Producing tart or acid fruit.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > tree or woody plant > cultivated or valued > [adjective] > of or relating to fruit-trees and parts
soura1000
saffron-fruited1558
pomonal1841
Malling1927
the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > fruit or reproductive product > plant that bears fruit > [adjective] > bearing fruit or fruitful > tart or acidic
soura1000
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular fruit-tree or -plant > [adjective] > of or relating to apple-tree > of particular type of apple-tree
soura1000
wilding1538
McIntosh Red1908
a1000 in Birch Cartul. Sax. I. 229 A dune on stream of ða suran apældran.
1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. xi. 207 Shal neuere good appel Þorw no sotel science on sour stock growe.
1560 Bp. J. Pilkington Aggeus the Prophete (1562) 297 The soure crabtree makes the crabbes bitter, and not the crabbes make the tree evyll.
1688 [see sense A. 1c]. 1865 C. F. Browne Artemus Ward his Trav. 151 A Vigilance Committee, which hangs the more vicious of the pestiferous crowd to a sour apple-tree.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. viii. [Lestrygonians] 155 We'll hang Joe Chamberlain on a sourapple tree.
c. In figurative or allusive uses; frequently in connection with sauce (cf. sauce n. Phrases 5).
ΚΠ
(a)
(b)1415 T. Hoccleve To Sir J. Oldcastle 292 Thogh it seeme sour To the taast of your detestable errour.1525 W. Tyndale Expos. & Notes (Parker Soc.) 234 Nothing is so sweet that they make not sour with their traditions.a1652 J. Smith Select Disc. (1660) i. i. 12 Their Doctrines may taste too sowre of the cask they come through.1655 R. Davenport King Iohn & Matilda iii. sig. E2v The sower sweetnesse of a deluded minute.1688 G. Miege Great French Dict. ii. sig. Rrr2v/1 To be tied to the sowr Apple-tree, for to have an ill Husband.1720 A. Ramsay Wealth (new ed.) 8 If not, Fox like, I'll..ca' your Hundred thousand a sour Plum.1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 186 It is a soure Reek, where the good Wife dings the good Man.a1796 R. Burns Kirk's Alarm (1799) 13 Nae poison'd soor Arminian stank, He let them taste.1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xiii. 43 Ac her sauce was ouer soure & vnsauourely grounde, In a morter..of many bitter peyne.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 169 Off quhais subchettis sour is the sals.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccix These soure sauces he tasted as a penaunce for hys wanton liuyng.
1626 R. Peeke Three to One sig. C1 Thus farre, my Voyage for Oranges sped well, but in the end, prooued sower Sawce to me.
a1660 in J. T. Gilbert Contemp. Hist. Ireland (1880) II. 42 Witty speeches loose theire rellish when they are ouerseasoned with the sowre sawce of reprehension.
1688 G. Miege Great French Dict. ii. sig. Xxx2v/3 He has given me sweet Meat, but sowr Sauce, (Prov.).
2. in combination.1661 Extr. Rec. Glasgow (Burgh Recs.) 465 The sour milk mercat, quhilk is now keeped at the croce.
a. Rendered acid by fermentation or similar processes; fermented; affected or spoiled in this way by being kept or exposed too long.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > sourness or acidity > [adjective] > made sour
sourc1000
soured1382
thundered1877
the world > food and drink > food > dairy produce > [adjective] > relating to milk > soured
sourc1000
welledOE
shotten1671
c1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 34 Genim þa readan hofan, awyl on surum swatum oþþe on surum ealað.
c1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 129 Oxygala, sur meolc.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 167 And thus of that thei brewe soure I drinke swete.
c1425 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 659 Seruicia acerba, sowre ale.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 466/2 Sowre, as dowe, fermentatus.
a1505 R. Henryson Test. Cresseid 441 in Poems (1981) 125 For waillit wyne and meitis thou had tho Tak mowlit breid, peirrie, and ceder sour.
?1507 Ballad of Kynd Kittok in W. Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen sig. b.ivv To get hir ane fresche drink ye aill of hevin wes sour.
1561 T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. (1634) iv. xviii. 713 As with leaven scattered among it, the whole lumpe of dough waxeth sower.
1669 R. Boyle Contin. New Exper. Physico-mech. (1682) ii. 168 This Experiment seems to teach us, that Liquors may grow sowre, though no spirits have evaporated from them.
1691 J. Ray Coll. Eng. Words (ed. 2) 137 Sower-milk, Butter-milk. Sower from its long standing.
1765 Ann. Reg. 1764 ii. 11 They throw the fresh caviar into it, and leave it there to grow sour.
1826 D. Booth Art of Brewing (ed. 2) 32 It cannot recover itself, but remains sickly, and becomes sour.
1884 Girl's Own Paper 4 Oct. 4/2 The great duty..of the girls..in Mongolia is to milk the cattle..and work up the milk into..sour-cheese, butter, and whisky.
b. figurative or in figurative context. Esp. in to go (or turn) sour (on a person).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > sourness or bitterness of temper > [adjective] > rendered or made sour
soura1340
a1340 R. Rolle Psalter Prol. O wondirful suetnes, þe whilk waxis noght soure thurgh þe corupciouns of þis warld.
1611 Bible (King James) Hosea iv. 18 Ephraim is ioyned to idoles:..Their drinke is sowre.
1641 J. Milton Of Reformation 62 The soure levin of humane Traditions mixt in one putrifi'd Masse with the poisonous dregs of hypocrisie in the hearts of Prelates.
1686 W. Harris in tr. N. Lémery Course Chym. (ed. 2) Ep. Ded. sig. A5v The sowre Leaven of Intestine Rebellion.
1799 J. Adams Wks. (1854) IX. 8 There is a very sour leaven of malevolence in many English and in many American minds against each other.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. iv. ii. 215 General Dumouriez,..finds all in sour heat of darkness.
1928 Daily Tel. 20 Mar. 11/5 Sir Victor Sassoon..advised the House to pass the bill, as there was a danger of the Government, in racing parlance, ‘going sour’.
1952 C. Day Lewis tr. Virgil Aeneid ix. 194 Let only my luck stay good And not turn sour on me.
1957 A. MacNab Bulls of Iberia xv. 214 He cannot afford to ease up in one or two bulls, or the whole afternoon may go sour on him.
1964 L. Nkosi Rhythm of Violence 50 What is a cynic but a romanticist turned sour?
1971 A. Sampson New Anat. Brit. 278 It is at the meetings with Treasury men that so many political ideals have been defeated, so many bold promises gone sour.
1981 P. Niesewand Word of Gentleman i. 14 Moorhouse and his party had wiped the floor with the opposition... Then suddenly everything went sour.
c. Of smell. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fetor > [adjective] > of a smell: bad
sourc1340
sourish1398
unclean?1440
rankish1495
rank1570
penetrating?1576
quick1578
musk cat1609
acute1620
loud1641
nauseous1649
loud-flavoured1866
c1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 657 Of herbes and tres comes swete savour, And of þe comes wlatsome stynk, and sour.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 325/1 Sower of smellyng, sur.
1843 C. Scudamore Med. Visit Gräfenberg 48 A strong sour smell, like mellow apples.
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. III. 12 Of the sour smell about rheumatic patients there can be no doubt.
d. Of breath, eructations, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > smell and odour > fetor > [adjective] > bad-breathed
strong-breathed1575
sour1578
breath-tainteda1644
the world > life > the body > respiratory organs > breathing > [adjective] > having breath of specific kind > foul
strong-breathed1575
sour1578
breath-tainteda1644
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball 239 The wambling of the stomacke, and the sower belkes whiche come from the same.
1607 T. Tomkis Lingua iv. iv Sweet ointment for sowre teeth.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iii. i. 321 That makes amends for her soure breath. View more context for this quotation
a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Knight of Malta iii. ii, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Lllll2v/1 Whose husband Tax'd for his sowre breath by his Enemy, Condemn'd his wife, for not acquainting him With his infirmity.
3. figurative.1656 R. Sanderson 20 Serm. 156 The heart of man is a sowre piece of clay.in extended use.1859 G. Meredith Ordeal Richard Feverel I. v. 93 In a country of sour pools, yellow brooks, rank pasturage, desolate heath.
a. Of land, etc.: Cold and wet; uncongenial through retaining stagnant moisture.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > constituent materials > earth or soil > soil qualities > [adjective] > soft or yielding
rotten?1440
mellow1531
sour1532
unctuous1555
heavy1577
omy1673
mellowed1798
sinky1828
1532 G. Hervet tr. Xenophon Treat. Househ. (1768) 76 What remedy is there, if the grounde be to weete to sowe in it, or to soure to set trees in it?
1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) f. 36 Some breaking vp lay, soweth otes to begin, to suck out the moisture so sower therein.
1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iii. 4 Like some rare Fruite-Tree over-topt with spight Of Bryers and Bushes which it sore oppresse, With the sower shadow of their Thornie tresse.
1677 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Oxford-shire 241 There is another sort of ground in this County which they call Sour-land.
1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry 63 In Oxfordshire..they give their sour Land a tilt, according to the State and Condition of their Lands.
1759 J. Mills tr. H. L. Duhamel du Monceau Pract. Treat. Husbandry i. viii. 45 The ground underneath must be of a most cold and sour nature.
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 613 Salt..sweetens sour pastures.
1858 G. Glenny Gardener's Every-day Bk. (new ed.) 189/2 The sour soil that they have been growing in.
1897 M. Kingsley Trav. W. Afr. 641 Other vast tracts of it are miserably poor sour, sandy clay.
b. Of pasture: Having a harsh, unpleasant taste; coarse, rank. Now dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > grassland > [adjective] > pasture > sour
sour1654
teart1850
1654 in F. P. Verney & M. M. Verney Mem. Verney Family 17th Cent. (1907) I. 535 The grass must be mown if it be too sour and long for them.
1673 J. Ray Observ. Journey Low-countries 148 The very Grass which grows under the Trees is sowr and crude.
1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) Sour, coarse, harsh, applied to grass, which grows on wet land.
1881 S. Evans Evans's Leicestershire Words (new ed.) Sour,..as applied to herbage, rank and bitter.
c. Of wood, etc.: Green. Now local.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > [adjective] > seasoned > not
greena1325
wetc1405
sour1572
1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 913 Sall neuer of sa sour ane brand ane bricht fyre be brocht.
1866 J. E. Brogden Provinc. Words Lincs. Sour, green. The hay is too sour to lead.
4. Of petroleum, natural gas, etc.: containing a relatively high proportion of sulphur. Opposed to sweet.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > organic chemistry > hydrocarbons > [adjective] > petroleum containing much sulphur
sour1919
1919 E. W. Dean Motor Gasoline Properties (U.S. Bureau of Mines Techn. Paper No. 214) 24 There is a possibility that gasoline ‘sour’ to the doctor test may have been the cause of certain reported corrosion of metal parts of carburetors.
1925 Petroleum Age 1 Jan. 16/2 Sour oils also have a distinctively unpleasant odor which is absent in sweet oils.
1936 W. L. Nelson Petroleum Refinery Engin. xxiv. 527 For ‘sour’ sulfur-bearing light distillates, the doctor treatment must be used.
1967 Wall St. Jrnl. 31 Jan. 32/2 Recovery of elemental sulphur from ‘sour’ gas is expected to materially increase available supplies.
1979 Economist 11 Aug. 67/1 There is a sour gas formation under the country's best oil field, Yibal.
II. Senses relating to bitter or distasteful nature.
5.
a. Extremely distasteful or disagreeable; bitter, unpleasant.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > [adjective] > unpleasant
loatha700
unsweetc890
grimlyc893
unquemeOE
un-i-quemeOE
evila1131
sourc1175
illc1220
unhightlyc1275
unwelcomec1325
unblithec1330
unnetc1330
unrekena1350
unagreeablec1374
uncouthc1380
unsavouryc1380
displeasantc1386
unlikinga1398
ungaina1400
crabbedc1400
unlovelyc1400
displeasing1401
eschewc1420
unsoot1420
mislikinga1425
unlikelya1425
unlustya1425
fastidiousc1425
unpleasantc1430
displicable1471
unthankfulc1475
displeasant1481
uneasy1483
unpleasinga1500
unfaring1513
badc1530
malpleasant?1533
noisome1542
thanklessa1547
ungrate1548
untoothsome1548
ungreeable1550
contrary1561
disagreeable1570
offensible1575
offensive1576
naughty1578
delightlessa1586
undelightful1585
unwisheda1586
unpleasurable1587
undelightsomec1595
dislikeful1596
disliking1596
ungrateful1596
unsweet?a1600
distastive1600
impleasing1602
distasting1603
distasteful1607
unsightly1608
undelectable1610
disgustful1611
unrelishing1611
waspisha1616
undeliciousa1618
unwished-for1617
disrelishing1631
unenjoyed1643
unjoyous1645
mirya1652
unwelcomed1651
unpleasivea1656
sweet1656
injucund1657
insuave1657
unpalatable1658
unhandsome1660
undesirable1667
disrelishablea1670
uncouthsome1684
shocking1703
nasty1705
embittering1746
indelectable1751
undelightinga1774
nice and ——1796
unenjoyablea1797
ungenial1796
uncomplacent1805
ungracious1807
bitter1810
rotten1813
uncongenial1813
quarrelsome1825
grimy1833
nice1836
unrelished1863
bloody1867
unbewitching1876
ferocious1877
displeasurable1879
rebarbative1892
charming1893
crook1898
naar1900
peppery1901
negative1902
poisonous1906
off-putting1935
unsympathetic1937
piggy1942
funky1946
umpty1948
pooey1967
minging1970
Scrooge-like1976
sucky1984
stank1991
stanky1991
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 15208 Forr pine iss sur & biteþþ wiþþ. & cwennkeþþ erþliȝ kinde.
a1250 Owl & Nightingale 866 Þat him beo sur þat er was swete, Þar to ich helpe, god hit wot.
c1315 Shoreham iv. 422 And her-by þou myȝt, man, y-seo hou here ende hys sour.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xi. 250 Al though it be soure to suffre, þere cometh swete after.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xx. 46 I mote nede abyde, And suffre sorwes ful sowre þat shal to ioye tourne.
1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) xxx. 148 To have release of your great paynes sower.
1576 G. Pettie Petite Pallace (1908) I. 45 This life hath been most loathsome and sour vnto me.
1630 tr. G. Botero Relations Famous Kingdomes World (rev. ed.) 439 These prosperous beginnings brought forth sowre ends.
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xxv. 133 When they are for Execution of soure labour.
1701 J. Collier tr. Marcus Aurelius Conversat. with Himself xii. xvi. 230 If so, he has given himself a sowr Box on the Ear.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. iii. i. 145 That sweet Federation was of last year; this sour Divulsion is the selfsame substance.
1870 R. W. Emerson Society & Solitude 3 Michael Angelo had a sad, sour time of it.
b. Of music: out of tune.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > tuning or intonation > [adjective] > out of tune
distonedc1400
distunedc1484
mistonedc1500
untuned1592
false1597
absurd1617
mistuneda1684
off-keya1918
sour1937
off-pitch1945
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II v. iv. 42 How sowre sweete Musicke is When time is broke, and no proportion kept. View more context for this quotation]
1937 Amer. Speech 12 48/2 Sour, out-of-tune playing.
1976 Gramophone Feb. 1356/1 String tone is wirey, even a bit sour in the G minor, especially during loud passages.
6. absolute.1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems xxvii. 6 But dull water, avaunt... Seek the sour, the solemn!
a. Having a harsh, morose, or peevish disposition; sullen, austere; gloomy, discontented, embittered.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > sourness or bitterness of temper > [adjective]
bitter?c1225
sour?c1225
envenomedc1375
envenomousa1420
crabbed1565
gallish1595
verjuice1598
vinegar-tart1599
soury1647
acrid1681
acrious1682
sourish1688
embittered1694
subacid1760
verjuiced1836
acidulent1837
vinaigrous1837
vinegar1847
vinegary1847
soured1848
acerbic1853
acidulous1865
acerbate1869
acerbitous1870
snake-headed1920
sour-pussed1952
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 91 Gruchinge of bitter & of sur heorte.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 325/1 Sower, cursed or shrewde as a woman is that lowreth, malgracieux.
1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. Contin. 1360/2 The one of nature affable, the other altogither sowre.
1633 G. Herbert Temple: Sacred Poems 2 And art thou grieved..When I am sowre, And crosse thy love?
1665 S. Patrick Parable of Pilgrim xxxvii. 478 Do not follow your Saviour with a sowre heart, dejected looks, and faln wings.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 89. ⁋8 Don't think me a sour Man, for I love Conversation and my Friends.
1779 Mirror No. 61 It is not the melancholy of a sour, unsocial being.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. vi. iii. 377 Men's humour is of the sourest.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. ii. 172 His temper was sour, arrogant, and impatient of opposition.
1874 J. P. Mahaffy Social Life Greece iii. 65 We might almost imagine that some sour Attic editor had expunged the advice.
b. Const. upon (a person). rare.
ΚΠ
1621–31 W. Laud Serm. (1847) 179 ‘Keep unity,’ then, and be sour..upon any that shall endeavour to break it.
7. Displaying, expressing, or implying displeasure or discontent; peevish, cross:
a. Of looks, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > harmfulness > bitterness > [adjective]
bitter971
festereda1398
sourc1450
rancorous1566
infestered1570
amarulent1583
stomachous1590
enfested1591
fellifluous1656
vitriolic1841
the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > [adjective]
loatha1250
unfain1338
ill-liking?a1400
sourc1450
unpleaseda1475
displeasant1485
discontentc1500
discontenteda1513
displeased1581
aggrieved1590
misapaid1614
unrelished1620
injured1634
misliked1641
undelighted1667
uneasya1715
untickled1736
uncharmed1757
disagreeable?c1785
displacent1859
chuffed1960
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > sourness or bitterness of temper > [adjective] > expressing or implying
sourc1450
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 1 With a sowr cowntenance and a froward luke.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 225/2 Glumme, a sower loke.
1598 J. Marston Scourge of Villanie iii. ix. sig. G7 Grim-fac'd Reproofe,..Bend thy sower browes in my tart poesie.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State iv. xix. 339 His little eyes can cast a soure glance.
1720 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1906) VII. 186 He..from his sower Looks is commonly called Vinegar Jones.
1753 T. Gray Long Story in Six Poems 21 Sour visages, enough to scare ye.
1807 J. Barlow Columbiad i. 26 Dissembling friends..Now pass my cell with smiles of sour disdain.
1833 H. Martineau Brooke & Brooke Farm (ed. 3) iii. 29 The sour looks with which the strangers were regarded.
1869 H. F. Tozer Res. Highlands of Turkey II. 73 A woman with a sour countenance but rather handsome features.
b. Of words, discourse, opinions, etc.
ΚΠ
1557 M. Basset tr. T. More Treat. Passion in Wks. 1384/1 With sweete and sower wordes to laboure..to make good men of badde.
1594 J. Dickenson Arisbas Ep. Ded. sig. A ijv To shield me..from the sowre censures of the ouer-curious Moralists of our age.
1614 W. Raleigh Hist. World i. iii. viii. §6. 98 Nicias and his Companions had a sowre message to deliuer at Sparta.
1663 J. Spencer Disc. Prodigies (1665) 17 That Historian, whom we shall easily perceive not more leavened in mind or writing with this kind of sowrer Superstition.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 54. ⁋1 He said a sour Thing to Laura at Dinner the other Day; upon which she burst into Tears.
1761 D. Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) IV. lx. 513 The fanaticism which prevailed, being so full of sour and angry principles.
1851 A. Helps Compan. Solitude iii. 31 In delivering a sour discourse on the wickedness of the others.
1871 J. Morley Carlyle in Crit. Misc. 235 A system which has raised monstrous floods of sour cant round about us.
c. Of actions.
ΚΠ
1659 T. Pecke tr. Owen Epigr. xiii Sowre is the exit..of the salacious Cyprian Emperess.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis xii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 578 He makes a sour Retreat, nor mends his Pace.
1725 W. Broome in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey III. xi. 693 Touch'd at his sour retreat,..Thro' hell's black bounds I had pursu'd his flight.
a1740 D. Waterland Serm. (1742) I. iii. 81 God..chuses rather an easy and chearful, than an austere and sower Obedience.
d. Wry; distorted.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > face with expression or expression > [adjective] > distorted
writhen?a1425
girning1447
mowinga1529
writhed1568
mumping1594
antic1595
frowned1598
screwed1609
sour1611
wreathed1645
fluish1674
working1717
screwed-up1728
frownful1771
grimacing1804
quirked1931
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Morgueur, a maker of strange mouthes, or soure faces.
1822 C. Lamb Diss. Roast Pig in Elia 1st Ser. Make what sour mouths he would for a pretence.
8. Of weather, etc.: Cold and wet; inclement.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > bad weather > [adjective]
starkOE
unkindc1330
foulc1390
distemperate1398
distempered1490
untemperate1525
intemperate1526
naughty1541
intempered1556
unkindly1579
sour1582
unclement1598
filthy1600
nasty1634
dirty1660
inclement1667
inclemental1709
wretched1711
foul-weather1750
ungenial1816
wersh1830
shabby1853
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis iv. 73 In a winters soure storme must nauye be launched?
1600 B. Jonson Every Man out of his Humor ii. iv. sig. Gii Is now thy Walke too sweet? Thou said'st of late it had sower aires about it. View more context for this quotation
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 272 The same day [we] had sower gusts of Wind and Rain.
1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 223 We had a very sour and rough Voyage for the first Fortnight.
a1774 R. Fergusson Poems (1785) 162 Simmer's showery blinks and winters sour.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. i. vii. 78 The Earth..weeps and blears itself, in sour rain, and worse.
1895 ‘G. Setoun’ Sunshine & Haar 28 It was a ‘cauld sour day’, nothing but drizzle.
9. Of animals: Heavy, coarse, gross.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animal body > [adjective] > stout or strong > fat
of hawt greesc1460
tallowy1495
well-meated1566
sour1713
meaty1787
1713 London Gaz. No. 5148/12 A strong, sower Horse of 6 l. Price.
1854 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 15 i. 228 They [sheep] are apt to run hairy in the wool, big in the bone, and sour in the head.
1881 S. Evans Evans's Leicestershire Words (new ed.) Sour, as applied to animals, coarse and gross.
1889 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. (ed. 2) (at cited word) Two..sour, fine-looking mares.
B. n.1
1. That which is sour, in literal or figurative senses. Used without article, or with the, a, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > [noun] > tribulation, trouble, or affliction
teeneOE
harmOE
sourc1000
trayOE
angec1175
wosithc1200
ail?c1225
barrat?c1225
misease?c1225
passion?c1225
troublec1230
sorenessc1275
grievancea1300
cumbermentc1300
cumbering1303
thro1303
angera1325
strifea1325
sweama1325
encumbrancec1330
tribulationc1330
threst1340
mischiefa1375
pressc1375
unhend1377
miseasetya1382
angernessc1390
molestc1390
troublancec1400
notea1425
miseasenessc1450
cumber?a1513
tribule1513
unseasonableness?1523
troublesomeness1561
tribulance1575
tine1590
trials and tribulations1591
pressure1648
difficulty1667
hell to pay1758
dree1791
trial and tribulation1792
Queer Street1811
Sturm und Drang1857
a thin time1924
shit1929
crap1932
shtook1936
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > sourness or acidity > [noun] > sour substance
sourc1000
acid1649
subacid1684
acescent1731
sour water1815
the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > bitterness of heart > [noun] > that which is bitter
bitterOE
bitternessa1382
sourc1400
(a)
(b)a1300 Cursor Mundi 23979 He dranc þe sure and i þe suete.1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis III. 12 Tuo tonnes fulle of love drinke,..of the soure or of the swete.1448–9 J. Metham Wks. (E.E.T.S.) 52 I be myn one schal bothe the sqwete and the soure For yow endure.1553 T. Wilson Arte Rhetorique (1580) 4 Hym cunne I thanke, that bothe can and will, once mingle sweet emong the sower.1584 R. Greene Gwydonius f. 38 By the sweete (quoth he) how should we know the sower.1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini Ragguagli di Parnasso (1674) i. lxix. 86 The Sower of obeying, and Sweet of commanding.1684 tr. T. Bonet Guide Pract. Physician vi. 177 Many People give their Patients..Conserves of the sowre of Citron.1724 A. Ramsay Tea-table Misc. (new ed.) I. Ded. vi Their sangs may ward ye frae the sour, And gaily vacant minutes pass.(c)c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness l. 820 Wyth no sour ne no salt seruez hym neuer.?1402 in Yorks. Archæol. Jrnl. 20 47 Thus did God dele, For swete, a sour.1592 N. Breton Pilgrimage to Paradise 82 Sowing the sweete, that killeth euery sower.1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. G1v The sweets we wish for, turne to lothed sowrs . View more context for this quotationa1640 P. Massinger & J. Fletcher Very Woman iv. ii. 89 in P. Massinger 3 New Playes (1655) We have not an hour of life In which our pleasures relish not some pain, Our sowrs some sweetness.1714 B. Mandeville Fable Bees i. 78 Loaf sugar..prevents the injuries which a gnawing Sower might do to the Bowels.1816 L. Hunt Story of Rimini iii. 64 He kept no reckoning with his sweets and sours.1900 S. J. Weyman Sophia xv The only sour in his cup..arose from his costume.c1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 56 Sele drincan middeldagum, & forga sur & sealtes gehwæt.
c1400 Rom. Rose 5059 He is a wrecche..That loved such one, for swete or soure.
c1420 26 Pol. Poems xvii. 131 For oure swete, he drank ful soure.
c1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) i. 107 As waspis ressauis of þe same bot soure, So reprobatis Christis buke dois rebute.
1580 J. Lyly Euphues & his Eng. (new ed.) f. 9v You haue bene a Trauailer, and tasted nothing but sowre.
1612 J. Davies Muses Sacrifice in Wks. (Grosart) II. 12/2 Mellefluous Sweetnesse..Sweeten my Sowre.
1657 J. Trapp Comm. Neh. i. 8 Sower and sweet maketh best sawce.
1881 D. Thomson Musings among Heather 191 We likewise find Our sour gey aften mix'd wi' sweet.
2. In bleaching and tanning, a bath or steep of an acid character.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > whitener > [noun] > bleaching agent > for specific process
sour1756
souring1777
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > leather-making materials > [noun] > tannin > tanning solutions
sumac?a1350
bark-waterc1440
oozea1450
owser1704
sour1756
souring1777
tan-pickle1820
gambier1853
kassu1862
tan-liquor1882
tan-ooze1901
1756 F. Home Exper. Bleaching 28 Sours made with bran, or rye meal, and water, are often used instead of milk.
1778 Philos. Trans. 1777 (Royal Soc.) 68 125 The bleachers of linen make use of a sour prepared by diluting the strong spirit of vitriol.
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 137 They are thence removed to the sours.
1860 C. Tomlinson Useful Arts & Manuf. 2nd Ser. Leather 12 The skins are..immersed for twelve hours in a very weak solution of sulphuric acid, called sours.
1873 E. Spon Workshop Receipts 1st Ser. 30/2 After being cleaned or scalded, discharge in a hot vitriol sour.
3. U.S. An acid drink, usually whisky or other spirit with lemon added.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > distilled drink > cocktail > [noun] > other cocktails
balderdash1611
twist1699
Coke-upon-Littleton1740
julep1787
camphor julep1788
switchel1790
sling1792
mint sling1804
mint julep1809
swizzle1813
smash1850
rattlesnake1862
sour1862
Collins1865
John Collins1865
split1882
rickey1893
Picon punch1900
stinger1901
Bronx1906
Jack Rose1912
Pimm's1912
orange blossom1919
Americano1928
Merry Widow1930
snowball1930
atomic cocktail1941
Sazarac cocktail1941
grasshopper1949
Bellini1955
saketini1959
wallbanger1970
caipirinha1973
Long Island ice tea1978
Alabama slammer1980
Long Island iced tea1981
1862 J. Thomas How to mix Drinks 59 The brandy sour is made with the same ingredients as the brandy fix, omitting all fruits.
1885 Pall Mall Gaz. 10 Feb. 2/2 I prefer..‘swapping stories’ to sipping ‘whisky sours’.
1889 Pall Mall Gaz. 20 June 3/2 Sours are made principally with whisky or brandy, or Santa Cruz rum.
Compounds
C1.
a. Parasynthetic.† sour-eyed adj. Obsolete† sour-louten adj. Obsolete† sour-natured adj. Obsolete
sour-blooded adj.
ΚΠ
1862 G. W. Thornbury Life J. M. W. Turner II. 136 Turner was no sour-blooded recluse.
sour-breathed adj.
ΚΠ
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) iii. xiii. sig. Qq1v Damætas..had fetched many a sower-breathed sigh.
sour-complexioned adj.
ΚΠ
1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler To Rdr. sig. A vv If thou be a severe, sowr complexioned man. View more context for this quotation
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iv. i. 20 Barraine hate, Sower-ey'd disdaine, and discord. View more context for this quotation
sour-eyelidded adj.
ΚΠ
a1697 J. Aubrey Brief Lives (1813) 511 He had a most remarkable aspect,..long-faced, and sour eielidded, a kind of pigge-eie.
sour-faced adj.
ΚΠ
1589 ‘M. Marprelate’ Epitome (1843) 28 A sourfaced knaue.
1883 J. Mackenzie Day-dawn in Dark Places 78 Not even Hendrik was sour-faced a day after.
sour-favoured adj.
ΚΠ
1916 J. Joyce Portrait of Artist iv. 187 The face was eyeless and sourfavoured.
sour-featured adj.
ΚΠ
1830 W. Scott Doom of Devorgoil ii. i. 114 With sour-featured Whigs the Grass-market was cramm'd.
sour-hearted adj.
ΚΠ
1679 Poor Robins Intelligence in Sporting Mag. (1812) 39 61 Sour headed, saddle backed, goose rumped.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 99 The Mother Cow must wear a low'ring look, Sour headed, strongly neck'd. View more context for this quotation
sour-looked adj.
ΚΠ
1673 London Gaz. No. 834/4 A sowr lookt and plain Horse.
sour-looked adj.
ΚΠ
1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II Torvity, sour Lookedness.
ΚΠ
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xxi. 256 He is sowre-lottyn.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiii. 131 She is browyd lyke a brystyll, With a sowre-loten chere.
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) ii. iii. 5 I thinke Crab my dog, be the sowrest natured dogge that liues.
sour-tempered adj.
ΚΠ
1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer (1891) 203 A sour-tempered Skye terrier.
sour-tongued adj.
ΚΠ
1746 P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Satires i. vii. 44 The sour-tongu'd Mungrel the Dispute renew'd.
1930 E. Blunden Summer's Fancy 22 And black-capped and gowned The sour-tongued master stared and hovered nigh.
sour-visaged adj.
ΚΠ
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth I. iii. 61 An aged sour-visaged domestic.
b. With present participles, as sour-looking, sour-smelling.
ΚΠ
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Rechignard, a..soure-looking, or grimme fellow.
1799 T. Campbell Harper in Poems iii When the sour-looking folk sent me heartless away.
1838 T. Thomson Chem. Org. Bodies 544 When copal is kept melted till a sour smelling aromatic odour has ceased to proceed from it.
1855 J. R. Leifchild Cornwall: Mines & Miners 21 A lean, sour-looking man.
c. With nouns, forming attributive combinations.
ΚΠ
1837 B. D. Walsh tr. Aristophanes Acharnians ii. ii, in Comedies 40 'Tis really terrible for men to have Such sour-grape tempers.
1881 Academy No. 492. 271 Of the sour-zealot order.
1898 Daily News 24 Mar. 2/5 A private conviction of the sour grapes order.
C2. Special collocations (frequently hyphenated).A number of others in dialect use are given in the Eng. Dial. Dict.† sour cheer n. Obsolete bitter feeling. † sour greme n. Obsolete bitter grief or anger.† sour swig n. Obsolete sour liquor or drink (figurative).
sour-ball n. (also sourball) U.S. (a) a peevish or sour-tempered person; also attributive or as adj. ; (b) a boiled sweet with an acid taste.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > sourness or bitterness of temper > [noun] > sour-tempered person
sourock1723
sourling1784
lemon1863
vinegar-cruet1873
sour-ball1900
sourpuss1937
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > confections or sweetmeats > sweets > [noun] > a sweet > acid sweets
sour-sweet1603
acid drop1783
acidulated drop1827
acidulated tablet1889
acid tablet1893
sour-ball1900
nippy sweetie1994
1900 Dial. Notes 2 62 Sour-ball, a chronic grumbler.
1933 Manufacturing Chemist Nov. 41/1 Assorted Sour Balls (purchased in a railroad depot, Boston, Mass.)... Balls had a coating of grain.
1935 J. O'Hara Appointment in Samarra (U.K. ed.) iv. 123 My God, you're sourball tonight.
1962 ‘E. Lacy’ Freeloaders vi. 113 You think Gil is nuts? He's been acting the sourball all day.
1964 W. Markfield To Early Grave (1965) ii. 34 He brought a bagful of Hershey bars and Charms and sour balls and chocolate-covered halvah.
1976 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 15 Apr. 33/1 The witness from those years is overwhelming, and not just from snobbish intellectuals and sourball novelists.
sour beef n. U.S. local = sauerbraten n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > meat dishes > [noun] > roasted meat
bredea1000
roasteda1398
roasta1400
Easter lambc1400
hasterya1475
roast meat1528
roast beef1564
rib roast1627
rôti1771
rosbif1822
Sunday joint1844
buccan1862
sauerbraten1889
crown roast1901
schooner on the rocks1916
porchetta1929
sour beef1935
siu mei1960
nyama choma1980
1935 Evening Sun (Baltimore) 2 Mar. 18/3 Mrs. Haberkorn was ‘a world champion’ sour beef cooker.
1947 Sun (Baltimore) 3 Nov. 11/8 (advt.) Old fashioned sour beef & dumplings.
1968 E. Staebler Food that really Schmecks 36 Sauerbraten (Sour Beef Pot Roast).
sour bread n. †(a) leavened bread; (b) U.S. sourdough bread.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > bread > [noun] > leavened bread
sour breada1400
light bread1821
challah1873
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > bread > [noun] > other types of bread
sergeant-loafa1348
clear-matin1362
bean-breadc1380
French bread1420
pease-breada1425
bran-breadc1425
grey breadc1430
angels' breadc1440
dough bread?a1500
baker's bread?1550
acorn bread1571
cart-bread1574
chapter-bread1600
diet-bread1617
ember-bread1681
buff coat1688
bust-coat1706
Picentine bread1712
chestnut-bread1814
naan1828
gluten-bread1846
to-bread1854
batch-bread1862
injera1868
coffee cake1879
pan dulce1882
quick bread1882
sour bread1884
Tommy1895
focaccia1905
hard-dough bread1911
hush puppy1918
potica1927
spoon bread1932
bake1933
pitta1936
hard-dough1966
pain de campagne1970
pocket bread1973
ciabatta1985
pain au levain1985
levain1991
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6166 And neuer mar þat dai til ete Na surbred ne nanoþer mete.
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) xiii. 59 Þai..makes þe sacrement of þe awter of soure bred as þe Grekes duse.
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lxxi. 197 There is no Iewish pascall solemnitie nor abstinence from sower bread now required at our hands.
1884 H. A. Dwight Bread-making 46 Sour bread is such a common evil that a special chapter should be given to it... Sour bread follows..as a consequence of sour yeast.
1942 W. Faulkner Go down, Moses & Other Stories 196 Then for two weeks he ate the coarse, rapid food—the shapeless sour bread, the wild strange meat.
1977 H. Fast Immigrants iii. 201 Lunch was homemade sausage meat..and fresh milk as thick as cream, and with it Mary Gallagher's home-baked sour bread and home-churned butter.
sour cake n. an oat- or rye-cake made of fermented dough.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > pancake, tortilla, or oatcake > [noun]
corn-cake1791
sour cake1793
dodger1831
1793 D. Ure Hist. Rutherglen 94 Another ancient custom, for the observance of which Rutherglen has long been famous, is the baking of sour cakes.
1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede I. i. viii. 172 They..look as if they'd never tasted nothing better than bacon-sword and sour-cake i' their lives.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > harmfulness > bitterness > [noun]
rancourc1380
nitrosity?a1425
sour cheerc1440
amaritude1490
fellc1494
rust?1507
stomach grief1553
virulencya1617
ranklea1632
embitteredness1643
embitterment1645
virulence1663
sharpness1673
virulentnessa1676
the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > unkindness > bitterness > [noun]
rancourc1380
bitterness1382
sour cheerc1440
amaritude1490
fellc1494
rust?1507
aloea1529
stomach?1553
stomach grief1553
virulencya1617
coloquintida1622
nitrosity1634
embitteredness1643
embitterment1645
virulence1663
sharpness1673
virulentnessa1676
acerbation1793
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 466/2 Sowre chere, acrimonia.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 9127 With remyng, & rauthe, & myche rife sorow, Sobbyng & sourcher soght fro þere herttes.
sour cherry n. the common cherry.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular types of fruit > [noun] > stone fruit > cherry > types of cherry
black cherry1530
geana1533
Plinian1577
mazzard1578
mazardc1595
merry1595
Flanders cherry1597
heart cherry1599
cherrylet1605
agriot1611
morel1611
cœur-cherry1626
bigarreau1629
May-cherry1629
morello1629
urinal cherry1629
white-heart cherry1629
duracine1655
heart1658
black heart1664
carnation1664
duke1664
honey cherrya1671
nonsuch1674
merise1675
red-hearta1678
prince royal1686
lukeward1707
white-heart1707
May duke1718
Royal Ann1724
ox-heart1731
ratafia1777
choke-cherry1785
mountain cherry1811
rum cherry1818
sour cherry1884
Napoleon1886
Napoleon cherry1933
1884 tr. de Candolle's Orig. Cultivated Pl. 207 Sour Cherry—Prunus cerasus.
sour cream n. spec. fresh cream soured by the addition of lactic acid.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dairy produce > [noun] > cream > sour cream
sour cream1855
smetana1938
1855 E. Acton Mod. Cookery (rev. ed.) vi. 143 ‘Sour cream’ is an ingredient not much approved by English taste, but it enters largely into German cookery.
1961 ‘E. Lathen’ Banking on Death iii. 22 Roast beef, baked potato—‘For God's sake, no sour cream!’
1978 D. Francis Trial Run iii. 45 The object of her curiosity..spooned sour cream into his borsch.
sour crop n. Veterinary Medicine oidiomycosis of chickens, turkeys, or other poultry, producing a crop filled with foul-smelling liquid and often thickened and ulcerated.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of birds > [noun] > disorders of poultry
roup1551
squeck1577
gargil1614
roup1614
the gapes1799
garget1817
snifters1844
white comb1853
bumble foot1854
wry-tail1880
blackhead1894
bacillary white diarrhoea1909
limber-neck1910
(avian or fowl) leucosis complex1922
pullorum1929
perosis1931
fowl paralysis1932
scissor beak1934
blue comb1939
hexamitiasis1941
pullet disease1941
Marek's disease1947
new wheat disease1950
X disease1950
sour crop1951
fowl cholera-
1951 T. G. Hungerford Dis. Poultry (ed. 2) viii. 259 Fungus infection of the digestive tract is also known as thrush, moniliasis, oidiomycosis,..and sour crop.
1975 B. Meyrick Behind Light xv. 199 ‘Sour crop,’ he announced..as he gently felt the chicken's full crop.
1975 L. Arnall & I. F. Keymer Bird Dis. viii. 139 Candidiasis, Moniliasis, Oidiomycosis, Sour Crop or Thrush (Candida albicans infection). Turkeys, parrots, gamebirds and pigeons are mainly affected.
sour gourd n. (the fruit of) the Baobab, Adansonia digitata, or the related species A. gregorii.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding fibre, thatching, or basket material > [noun] > trees or shrubs yielding fibre, etc. > baobab tree > fruit
sour gourd1640
monkey bread1770
1640 J. Parkinson Theatrum Botanicum 1632 The Ethiopian sowre Gourde..groweth in Mozambique..on a faire great tree.
1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. App. 327 Sour Gourd, Æthiopian, Adansonia.
1857 A. Henfrey Elem. Course Bot. 247 The fruit of the Baobab, the Monkey-bread or Ethiopian Sour-gourd, has an agreeable acid pulp.
1873 R. Bentley Man. Bot. (ed. 3) ii. iii. 438 A[dansonia] Gregorii... A native of N. Australia, where it is known as Sour Gourd and Cream of tartar tree.
sour-grapeism n. the action or practice of disparaging something because it is out of one's reach.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > jealousy or envy > [noun] > envy > disparaging because out of one's reach
sour-grapeism1853
sour-grapiness1970
1853 E. C. Gaskell Cranford i. 5 There, economy was always ‘elegant’, and money-spending always ‘vulgar and ostentatious’; a sort of sour grapeism which made us very peaceful and satisfied.
1957 R. W. Zandvoort Handbk. Eng. Gram. (new ed.) ix. ii. 307 The suffix is added to syntactic word groups..in such formations as sour-grapeism, [etc.].
sour grapes n. see grape n.1 1a.
sour-grapey adj. disparaging because something is out of reach.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > jealousy or envy > [adjective] > envious > disparaging because out of one's reach
sour-grapey1962
1962 Punch 11 Apr. 579/1 It may have sounded a silly and sour-grapey sort of thing to say.
1980 Good Housek. Nov. 15/3 Perhaps I'm being a tiny bit sour grapey.
sour-grapiness n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > jealousy or envy > [noun] > envy > disparaging because out of one's reach
sour-grapeism1853
sour-grapiness1970
1970 Guardian 30 July 9/4 One Amsterdam camp site owner who..almost moulded away with sour grapiness.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > [noun] > bitter anger
sour gremec1400
the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > bitterness of heart > [noun]
sour gremec1400
atterc1430
festera1500
maraha1500
coloquintida1622
ranklea1632
bitterness-
c1400 Destr. Troy 2053 Soche a sorow & a sourgreme sanke in his hert.
c1400 Destr. Troy 9042 For sorow & sorgrym of his sonnys dethe.
sour gum n. U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular timber trees or shrubs > non-British timber trees > [noun] > tupelo
gum tree1676
black-gum1709
white gum1709
tupelo1731
Nyssa1754
sour gum1814
pipperidge1823
pepperidge1826
1814 F. Pursh Flora Amer. Septentrionalis I. 177 Nyssa villosa... This tree is known by the name of Sour-gum.
1880 C. E. Bessey Bot. 519 The wood of Nyssa multiflora, the Sour Gum, Tupelo, or Peppridge tree of the Eastern United States.
sour kettle n. (see quots.).
ΚΠ
1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 2250/1 Sour-kettle, a vessel used in souring bleached cloth.
sour-mash n. U.S. (whisky made from) fermenting grain mash; also attributive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > distilled drink > whisky > [noun] > other whiskies
peat-reek1792
Monongahela1805
rye?1808
corn1820
small-still (whisky)1822
bald-face1840
corn-whiskey1843
raw1844
Bourbon1846
sod corn1857
valley tan1860
straight1862
forty-rod whisky1863
rock and rye1878
sour-mash1885
grain-whisky1887
forty rod lightning1889
Suntory1942
Wild Turkey1949
mash1961
pot still1994
1885 ‘C. E. Craddock’ Prophet Great Smoky Mountains 150 Him an' me run a sour mash still on the top o' the mounting.
1892 ‘M. Twain’ Amer. Claimant i. 23 Over-confidence and gaiety induced by over~plus of sour-mash.
1958 ‘W. Henry’ Seven Men at Mimbres Springs 216 The reservation doctor..was definitely given to a rigorous regimen of sourmash Kentucky bond taken internally for pain as self-directed.
1976 T. Stoppard Dirty Linen 65 Big bellied, red-eyed men in white crumpled suits swig from medicine bottles of two-year-old sour mash bourbon.
sour orange n. the Seville orange, Citrus aurantium distinguished by its thick skin and bitter pulp; also, the tree bearing this fruit; also attributive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular types of fruit > [adjective] > of types of citrus fruit
Maltese1773
pomelo1803
etrog1888
Jaffaa1916
sour orange1920
tangelo1932
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular fruit-tree or -plant > [adjective] > of citrus trees
lindc1450
citron1627
citrous1658
linn1799
aurantiaceous1837
sour orange1920
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular fruit-tree or -plant > [noun] > tree or plant bearing citrus fruit > orange trees
orangec1450
orange tree1530
nosegay plant1837
yuzu1910
sour orange1920
the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > fruit or a fruit > citrus fruit > [noun] > orange > types of orange
Seville orange1593
bigarade1658
Tangerine orange1710
mikan1727
mandarin1771
naartjie1790
blood orange1806
blood-red orange1826
Tangerine1842
navel orange1856
Florida orange1861
Bengal quince1866
noble orange1866
blood1867
satsuma1881
citrange1903
tangelo1904
sour orange1920
clementine1926
ortanique1936
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular types of fruit > [noun] > citrus fruit > orange > types of orange
Seville orange1593
kumquat1699
Tangerine orange1710
mikan1727
mandarin1771
naartjie1790
blood orange1806
St. Michael'sc1830
Tangerine1842
navel orange1856
Florida orange1861
Bengal quince1866
noble orange1866
blood1867
Jaffa1881
satsuma1881
navel1882
citrange1903
tangelo1904
Valencia1915
sour orange1920
clementine1926
minneola1931
ortanique1936
1890 E. Bonavia Cultivated Oranges & Lemons pl. vi The Seville Orange of Kandy..known there by the name of Amool Dódan (sour round orange).]
1920 H. J. Webber in Bull. Calif. Agric. Exper. Station No. 317. 268 An examination of sweet and sour orange seedling stock..showed the presence of many widely different types.
1926 H. H. Hume Cultivation Citrus Fruits iv. 45 Sour oranges, or bigarades, are distinguished from the sweet varieties by their broadly winged petioles.
1938 M. K. Rawlings Yearling i. 12 There were..sour orange biscuits.
1973 Advocate-News (Barbados) 26 Feb. 5/1 A virus of unknown nature..was found to be infecting sour orange seedlings.
sour plum n. (see quots.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular types of fruit > [noun] > stone fruit > plum > other types of
white plumc1330
bullacea1375
myxe?1440
prunelloa1450
bullace-fruit1530
horse plum1530
plum1530
wheat-plum1538
wheaten plum1542
choke-plum1556
pear plum1573
finger plum1577
scad1577
skeg1601
merchant1602
bullace-plum1608
malacadonian1608
prune plum1613
date plum1626
mussel plum1626
amber plum1629
black plum1629
primordian1629
queen mother1629
winter crack1629
myrobalan1630
Christian1651
Monsieur's plum1658
cinnamon-plum1664
date1664
primordial1664
Orleans1674
mirabelle1706
myrobalan plum1708
Mogul1718
mussel1718
Chickasaw plum1760
blue gage1764
magnum bonum1764
golden drop1772
beach-plum1785
sweet plum1796
winesour1836
wild plum1838
quetsch1839
egg-plum1859
Victoria1860
cherry plum1866
bladder-plum1869
prune1872
sour plum1874
Carlsbad plum1885
horse-jug1886
French plum1939
1874 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. (rev. ed.) Suppl. 1324/2 Owenia venosa is known by the name of the Sour Plum amongst the colonists.
1889 J. H. Maiden Useful Native Plants Austral. 49 Owenia acidula,..‘Sour Plum’, ‘Native Peach or Nectarine’.
1898 E. E. Morris Austral Eng. 427 Sour-Plum, the Emu-apple.
sourpuss n. (also sour-puss) [puss n.2] slang (originally U.S.) a sour-faced person; a grumbler; a killjoy; also attributive.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > sourness or bitterness of temper > [noun] > sour-tempered person
sourock1723
sourling1784
lemon1863
vinegar-cruet1873
sour-ball1900
sourpuss1937
1937 Sun (Baltimore) 28 May 14/7 Hadley doesn't look like the kind of sour-puss who would do that.
1942 Penguin New Writing 15 92 He pretends to be more interested in the antics of his birds than in the puffings an' blowings of a sourpuss of a council clerk.
1960 Guardian 15 Mar. 7/3 It's about time we got away from sourpuss champions.
1966 ‘H. MacDiarmid’ Company I've Kept i. 34 All the Moral Rearmers and other sour-pusses in Scotland.
1980 Logophile 4 i. 45/2 He had always been henpecked by his wife, a sourpuss with a waspish temper.
sour-pussed adj. sour-faced, miserable.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > sourness or bitterness of temper > [adjective]
bitter?c1225
sour?c1225
envenomedc1375
envenomousa1420
crabbed1565
gallish1595
verjuice1598
vinegar-tart1599
soury1647
acrid1681
acrious1682
sourish1688
embittered1694
subacid1760
verjuiced1836
acidulent1837
vinaigrous1837
vinegar1847
vinegary1847
soured1848
acerbic1853
acidulous1865
acerbate1869
acerbitous1870
snake-headed1920
sour-pussed1952
1952 J. Steinbeck East of Eden xlvii. 520 Henry was a man who liked fun—needed it. A sour-pussed associate could make him sick.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > types or qualities of intoxicating liquor > [noun] > unwholesome
sour swig1548
rotgut1632
stinkibus1707
whistle-belly-vengeance1861
gut-rot1916
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke vi. 74 Hauing been long accustomed to the olde soureswyg of Moses lawe.
sour tree n. = sour wood n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > non-British trees or shrubs > North American trees or shrubs > [noun] > sorrel-tree
sorrel-tree1687
sour tree1717
sour wood1856
titi1860
1717 Petiveriana III. 247 Sorrel or Sowre-tree. Because its Leaves have that Taste.
sour veld n. (also sour veldt) South African grassland covered with coarse grass lacking nutritive value.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > fertile land or place > land with vegetation > [noun] > grassland > types of
links1487
sward1513
machair1692
scurf1708
sweet-veld1785
stone-turf1797
sour veld1801
undergrass1838
bent-land1883
undersward1883
turf-line1935
1801 J. Barrow Acct. Trav. Interior S. Afr. 1797–8 I. iii. 110 That division of the district called the Zuure-veldt, or Sour Grass plains.
1863 J. S. Dobie Jrnl. 6 Apr. in S. Afr. Jrnl. (1945) 76 On across the Little Tugela..over rank sour-veldt grass.
1894 T. R. Sim Flora of Kaffraria 14 The sour veld..is composed of rank strong growing grasses.
1948 Star (Johannesburg) 20 Oct. 3/7 Sourveld management presents formidable problems.
1978 Jrnl. Afr. Hist. 19 479 Seasonal loss of nutrition of the plateau grasses (i.e. the presence of sourveld).
sour water n. water soured by fermentation, esp. in the process of starch-making.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > sourness or acidity > [noun] > sour substance
sourc1000
acid1649
subacid1684
acescent1731
sour water1815
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 554 Water in which bran has been allowed to become sour, and which is called sours, or sour water.
1836–41 W. T. Brande Man. Chem. (ed. 5) 1084 The starch suspended in a very foul acid liquor, called sour water.
sour wood n. U.S. the sorrel-tree.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > non-British trees or shrubs > North American trees or shrubs > [noun] > sorrel-tree
sorrel-tree1687
sour tree1717
sour wood1856
titi1860
1856 A. Gray Man. Bot. Northern U.S. (ed. 2) 254 Oxydendrum, Sorrel-tree. Sour-wood.
1859 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 2) 430 Sour wood (Andromeda arborea), a beautiful tree, which..is sometimes called Sorrel tree.
1880 New Virgin. II. 171 There were quantities of the pretty, graceful sourwood—the Oxydendrum arboreum.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
sourv.
/saʊə/ 1. figurative.1602 2nd Pt. Returne fr. Parnassus i. ii. 165 Such barmy heads wil alwaies be working, when as sad vinegar wittes sit souring at the bottome of a barrell.1657 T. Reeve God's Plea for Nineveh 2 This it is..to lye sowring in the leaven of discontent.
a. intransitive. To become sour; to acquire a sour taste.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > sourness or acidity > be or become sour [verb (intransitive)]
sour1390
souren1570
tart1629
blinka1665
whig1756
the mind > goodness and badness > harmfulness > bitterness > [verb (intransitive)] > become
sour1390
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 82 Fulofte and thus the swete soureth, Whan it is knowe to the tast.
a1400 [see sense 1b]. 1442 Lett. Marg. Anjou & Bp. Beckington (Camden) 80 Youre wynes shall nother soure nor stande base, for defaulte of drynkers.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 640/1 I do some good in the house, I keep breed from moldyng and drinke from sowryng.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 147 Made of two sorts of milke,..it soone sowreth.
1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique iii. xlix. 532 The cyder made of sweete apples, hauing a soft and tender flesh, is more apt to sowre.
1662 R. Mathews Unlearned Alchymist (new ed.) 155 Neither will the Oyl sowre so soon.
1732 J. Arbuthnot Pract. Rules of Diet i. 268 Milk, when it sours on the Stomach.
1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1776 II. 64 [Johnson:] He cannot find in his heart to pour out a bottle of wine; but he would not much care if it should sour.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 608 It is absolutely necessary that the lime..be allowed to remain a considerable time macerating or souring in water.
1881 J. P. Sheldon Dairy Farming 314 Used in milk it has the effect of preventing the faintest approach of souring, for at least a week, in the hottest of weather.
b. figurative. To change or turn to a bitter feeling. Also without const.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > sourness or bitterness of temper > become sour [verb (intransitive)] > turn into a sour feeling
soura1400
a1400 K. Alis. (Laud) 7002 Hote loue often after wil soure.
1678 J. Dryden All for Love ii. 25 Love once past, is, at the best, forgotten; But oftner sours to hate.
1742 E. Young Complaint: Night the First 16 Like bosom friendships to resentment sour'd.
1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche iii. xxx. 38 Thy sisters' love, seeing thee honoured so, Will sour to envy.
c. To become embittered, morose, or peevish.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > bitterness of heart > be or become bitter at heart [verb (intransitive)]
sour1748
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > sourness or bitterness of temper > become sour [verb (intransitive)]
sour1748
1748 J. Thomson Castle of Indolence i. xvii They hate to mingle in the filthy fray, Where the soul sours, and gradual rancour grows.
1754 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison VII. xlii. 202 A single woman..remains solitary and unheeded, in a busy bustling world; perhaps soured to it by her unconnected state.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Walking to Mail in Poems (new ed.) II. 49 She sour'd To what she is: a nature never kind!
1893 Daily News 29 Sept. 3/1 They sour and degenerate, grow cynical and misanthropic.
d. to sour on, to take a dislike or distaste to (a person or thing). Originally U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > hatred > dislike > [verb (transitive)]
mislikea1225
to like illa1350
to have no fancy with1465
mislovec1485
abominec1500
not to look ata1529
to have no will of, (also in)1548
misaffect1586
to have or take a stitch againsta1591
dislike1593
to take (a) toy to (also at)1598
disfavour1599
disgust1601
disaffect1609
mistaste1613
disrelisha1616
dispalate1630
abominate1652
disfancy1657
to have it in for1825
to have a down on1835
to sour on1862
to go off ——1877
derry1896
1862 in Thornton Amer. Gloss. (at cited word) Guess the M.P. will ‘sour’ on William C., when he has seen him for about fifteen minutes.
1872 M. S. De Vere Americanisms 205 The curious expression of souring on an unpleasant task or occupation.
1900 Daily News 13 Nov. 9/3 Dan soured on Castlereagh boys..forthwith.
2.
a. transitive. Of leaven: To cause fermentation in (dough, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparation of bread > prepare bread [verb (transitive)] > add leaven or raise > cause fermentation in
sour1340
fermentate1599
ferment1830
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 205 Ase þe leuayne zoureþ þet doȝ and hit draȝþ to smac.
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Exod. xii. 34 Thanne the puple tok sprengid meel, or it were sowrid.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Cor. v. 6 A lytell leven sowereth the whole lompe of dowe.
a1640 J. Ball Answer to Iohn Can (1642) ii. 34 A little leaven sowreth the whole masse.
1872 J. G. Murphy Crit. Comm. Leviticus ii. 11 Leaven is a portion of sour dough, which, when mingled with the fresh mass, sours it also.
b. figurative or in figurative context.
ΚΠ
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 294 He is the levein of the bred, Which soureth al the past aboute.
1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. ⁋9 Such as are, if not frozen in the dregs, yet sowred with the leauen of their superstition.
1647 Hist. Anabaptists 17 Seducing many, and sowring the new Lump of the Church with the Leaven of his perverse doctrine.
c1730 J. Swift Serm. vii, in Wks. (1841) II. 156/2 The smallest mixture of that leaven will sour the whole lump.
3. figurative.1601 B. Jonson Fountaine of Selfe-love v. v. sig. L3v We not intend to sowre your late delights With harsh expostulation. View more context for this quotationa1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) i. ii. 104 Three crabbed Moneths had sowr'd themselues to death. View more context for this quotationa1644 F. Quarles Solomons Recantation (1645) v This sowers all thy sweets, sads all thy Rest.a1682 Sir T. Browne Christian Morals (1716) i. 10 To have other by-ends in good actions sowers Laudable performances.1720 J. Ozell et al. tr. R. A. de Vertot Hist. Revol. Rom. Republic I. i. 47 Appius..could not help sowering the Usefulness of his Counsels with the Austerity of his Character.1826 C. Lamb Wedding in Elia 2nd Ser. The awful eye of the parson..souring my incipient jest to the tristful severities of a funeral.1859 J. J. Marshall Hist. Sc. Affairs x. 218 Education in him had not sweetened nature, but nature had soured education.
a. To make sour or acid; esp. to cause to have a tart or sour taste; to spoil in this way.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > sourness or acidity > make sour [verb (transitive)]
sharpa1425
sourc1460
intersour1599
unsweeten1611
blink1616
dissweeten1622
besoura1660
sharpen1675
acidulate1684
whig1756
acidify1837
tack1868
tarten1925
acidize1936
c1460 Promptorium Parvulorum (Winch.) 461 Sowryn, or make sowre, aceo.
1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller sig. N To sowre all the wines in Rome, and turne them to vineger.
1632 R. Sanderson 12 Serm. 467 A nasty vessell sowreth all that is put into it.
1705 Acct. of Conf. between Duke of Buckingham & Father Fitzgerald in Duke of Buckingham Misc. Wks. II. 45 He..Sours our Palm Wine, spoils our Victuals.
1716 J. Addison Drummer i. 1 He'll sower all the Beer in my Barrels.
1746 W. Dunkin tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles i. ii. 77 For tainted Vessels sour what they contain.
1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor xi, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. I. 302 In case the thunner should hae soured ours at the castle.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 608 Allowing no more lime..than is just sufficient to macerate or sour it with the water.
1903 Daily Chron. 12 Jan. 7/1 A germ that was souring each brew of beer in a large brewery.
b. To make (land) cold and wet.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > constituent materials > earth or soil > soil qualities > [verb (transitive)] > render cold and wet
sour1842
1842 J. Aiton Domest. Econ. (1857) 185 It is drenched, soured, and turned into mire through the winter.
1880 C. R. Markham Peruvian Bark 262 To allow any excess of water to drain off into a place where it cannot sour the soil.
c. Bleaching. To subject to the action of diluted acids. Also with off.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > whitening > make white [verb (transitive)] > bleach > by exposure
bleak1398
bleach1582
grass1650
sour1756
croft1875
photobleach1948
1756 F. Home Exper. Bleaching 80 In a bleachfield, when they were drawing a parcel of coarse cloth soured in this manner.
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 136 After which, they are completely rinsed in pure spring water, and then soured.
1873 E. Spon Workshop Receipts 1st Ser. 15/1 Then sour the whole in a bath of sulphuric acid.
1875 F. J. Bird Dyer's Hand-bk. 52 After cleaning goods should be soured off.
4. † c. To invest with a sour expression. Obsolete. rare.
a. To render sour, gloomy, or morose; to embitter (the mind, temper, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > make dejected [verb (transitive)]
drearya1300
discomfortc1325
batec1380
to cast downa1382
to throw downa1382
dullc1386
faintc1386
discomfita1425
discourage1436
sinkc1440
mischeera1450
discheerc1454
amatea1500
bedowa1522
damp1548
quail1548
dash1550
exanimate1552
afflict1561
dank1565
disanimate1565
sadden1565
languish1566
deject1581
dumpc1585
unheart1593
mope1596
chill1597
sour1600
disgallant1601
disheart1603
dishearten1606
fainten1620
depress1624
sullen1628
tristitiate1628
disliven1631
dampen1633
weigh1640
out-spirit1643
dispirit1647
flat1649
funeralize1654
hearta1658
disencourage1659
attrist1680
flatten1683
dismalizec1735
blue-devil1812
out-heart1845
downweigh1851
to get down1861
frigidize1868
languor1891
downcast1914
neg1987
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > sourness or bitterness of temper > make sour or bitter [verb (transitive)]
atterc1540
begall1598
sour1600
ingall1611
embitter1635
1600 B. Jonson Every Man out of his Humor Induct. sig. C This protraction is able to sower the best-setled patience in the Theatre. View more context for this quotation
1709 J. Strype Ann. Reformation lii. 522 To sowre the Minds of the Subjects against the Queen.
a1770 J. Jortin Serm. (1771) I. v. 91 Their piety is of that sort which sours the temper.
1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall IV. xxxix. 32 His mind was soured by indignation.
1838 E. Bulwer-Lytton Alice I. iii. ix. 319 Whose heart his schemes had prematurely soured.
1856 T. B. Macaulay Misc. Writings (1882) 314 Continued adversity had soured Johnson's temper.
1882 J. H. Blunt Reformation Church of Eng. II. 261 Physical and mental misery, which soured her disposition.
b. With personal object. In past participle, also (U.S. and Australian colloquial) const. on (the source of embitterment, etc.).
ΚΠ
1669 W. Temple Lett. (1700) II. 127 The Suedish Court, sowered by the ill Treatment..of their Ministers, will [etc.].
1701 W. Wotton Hist. Rome 220 These Losses did exceedingly sowre the People.
1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V III. x. 208 Philip, sowered by his disappointment, was sent back to Spain.
1832 H. Martineau Homes Abroad i. 12 What sours..him more than to work and work from year to year in vain?
1878 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. (ed. 2) III. xviii. 9 He seems to us a man..whose conscience..had soured him.
1897 Badminton Mag. 4 389 The filly, soured by our recent encounter, reared.
1898 E. N. Westcott David Harum xli. 346 He's kind o' soured on the hull thing.
1906 E. Dyson Fact'ry 'Ands xvii. 225 ‘Fact is,’ said the packer, ‘we're gettin' er bit soured on wimmin.’
1907 St. Nicholas XXXIV. 601/2 Maybe if I get any more soured on Hammond I'll skate over with my trunk and try Ferry Hill.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > sourness or bitterness of temper > make sour or bitter [verb (transitive)] > invest with sour expression
sour1593
1593 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis sig. Biiijv Adonis..Sowring his cheekes, cries, fie, no more of loue. View more context for this quotation
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II ii. i. 170 Not Englands priuate wrongs..nor my owne disgrace, Haue euer made me sower my patient cheeke.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
souradv.
/saʊə/ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > violent action or operation > severity > [adverb]
heavilyc897
sharplyc900
hardeOE
sharpc1000
sorec1000
hardlyOE
etelichec1175
sorelyc1275
straita1300
sourc1300
grievously1303
drearilya1400
foullya1400
felly?c1400
snapelyc1420
durely1477
penallya1500
shrewlya1529
shrewdlyc1533
asperously1547
heinouslya1555
sensibly1613
instantly1638
shrowardly1664
severelya1682
atrociously1765
punishingly1839
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 2005 Þus wolde þe theues me haue reft But God-þank, he hauenet sure keft.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. x. 361 It shal bisitten vs ful soure þe siluer þat we kepen.
c1386 G. Chaucer Sir Thopas 111 And yit I hope..That thou schalt with this launcegay Abyen it ful soure.
a1400–50 Alexander 2313 Þai said, soure suld him sowe bot he þe cite ȝeld.
2. Disagreeably, unpleasantly; crossly, gloomily, unfavourably. Chiefly in to look sour.In some cases perhaps the adjective used predicatively.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > [adverb] > in unpleasant manner
illa1275
unsavourly1377
unlovelyc1400
sour?a1513
beastly?1518
unfaringly1519
unpleasantly1542
ill-favouredly1545
uncomfortably1548
offensively1576
ungratefullya1586
adversely1593
unpleasingly1597
displeasantly1607
unsavourily1611
distastefully1631
unwelcomely1642
displeasurably1648
disagreeably1656
disgustfully1731
displeasingly1731
unpalatably1741
poisonously1746
undelightfully1749
awfully1815
unpleasurably1823
objectionably1825
unagreeably1850
disgustingly1856
undesirably1890
the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > ill-naturedness > sourness or bitterness of temper > [adverb]
tartlyc1000
sour?a1513
sourlya1533
crabbedly1574
acridlya1750
acrimoniously1753
acerbly1793
tartishly1823
sourishly1846
acidulously1889
vinegarishly1890
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 234 God waett gif that schou louket sowr.
1531 W. Tyndale Expos. 1 John (1537) 33 God hath no rodde in his hande, nor loketh sowre.
1557 Bible (Whittingham) Matt. vi. 16 When ye fast, loke not sowre as the hypocrites do.
1629 J. Maxwell tr. Herodian Hist. 49 The Roman Citizens being thus surrounded with direfull Mis-haps,..began to looke sowre vpon Commodus.
1693 J. Locke Some Thoughts conc. Educ. 58 When the Father or Mother looks sowre on the Child.
1833 H. Martineau Brooke & Brooke Farm (ed. 3) vi. 73 If anything ever did make him look sour, it was his dinner not being ready.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. vi. v. 329 Nor has public speaking declined, though Lafayette and his Patrols look sour on it.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.21839
adj.n.1a1000
v.1340adv.c1300