1936 ‘J. Curtis’ Gilt Kid xxv. 248 What you nick me for? Sus?

1963 T. Morris & P. Morris Pentonville xv. 312 Men who are, in the prison idiom, ‘done for sus’, that is to say, prosecuted as ‘suspected persons or reputed thieves loitering with intent to commit a felony’.

1970 G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard ii. 74 Chance nickings in the street, from anything on sus, to indecent exposure.

1978 G. Williams Textbk. Criminal Law xxxvii. 817 Another provision of the Vagrancy Act s.4 (as amended) allows the punishment on summary conviction of ‘suspected persons’ and ‘reputed thieves’ who ‘frequent and loiter’ in certain public places with intent to commit an arrestable offence. Persons ‘found’ committing the offence can be arrested. In police jargon, the man is ‘picked up on sus’.

1981 Times 24 Aug. 3/8 The delight at the passing of ‘sus’ is, however, mitigated by a degree of apprehension about its replacement, the newly created offence of ‘interference with vehicles’.

1936 ‘J. Curtis’ Gilt Kid xxix. 281 Yes, there was a bit of a coring match when they claimed me. Picked me up as a sus and then hung a screwing rap on me.

1967 K. Giles Death in Diamonds vi. 110 Sorry, old man, they found your chief sus. with his neck broken.

1970 R. Busby Frighteners viii. 80 He's going to go running to the law, because if he don't, he's the number one suss.

1977 Evening Standard 8 Mar. 8/2 ‘Sus’ is an ugly word whose meaning is now known to nearly every young West Indian living in London. It is short for ‘suspected person’. Its widespread and growing use by the police against black youngsters is coming to be regarded by many lawyers..as a major scandal.

1981 New Statesman 13 Feb. 3/1 The government is proposing to keep the ‘Sus’ laws in Scotland, even though they are being repealed in England and Wales.

1981 Times 24 Aug. 318 The controversial ‘sus’ law, under which people can be arrested on suspicion that an offence is likely to be committed, is no more. The Criminal Attempts Act, which comes into force today, abolishes section 4 of the Vagrancy Act 1824.

1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights iii. 154 He then told the judge about me trying the door handels [sic] of jam jars [= cars] and my generaly acting sus.

1958 Listener 23 Oct. 657/2 It might all seem a bit ‘sus’, as he would say, if Raymond Chandler, in a foreword, did not vouch for him.

1960 Punch 24 Feb. 285/1 I think it is all dead suss.

1983 Age (Melbourne) 9 July 7/2 [The coat] was a bit sus so I washed it and washed it and then soaked it for a week before I went near it.

1986 Truckin' Life June 47 As long as truckies continue to buy these barstool bargains and wreckers and repairers accept ‘suss’ componentry—trucks are going to be stolen.

1966 Queen 28 Sept. 28/3 Youth susses things out on its own.

1969 J. Fabian & J. Byrne Groupie xxix. 207 When chicks came round I enjoyed sussing them out, and trying to guess which one would last and which one would be dropped.

1971 It 2 June 18/2 Everybody seems to have at least two nicknames plus their birth-signs so every little chickie can think they've got it sussed.

1971 N. Saunders Alternative London xxvii. 256 Talk to him to sus him out—if you're not sure of him, don't leave him out of your sight.

1975 Daily Tel. 20 Jan. 7/1 ‘If ever my members sussed out that I can't read, I'd be a gonner,’ he said.

1976 P. Cave High Flying Birds x. 105 Stay there a minute. I'll go and suss it out.

1977 Daily Mirror 10 May 17/1 It took me about half a day to suss out the industry and realise how easy it would be to move in.

1977 Sounds 9 July 30/5 Here we have a stylish axe/singer who's sussed the factors that made Benson such a universally popular guitarist.

1980 Times Lit. Suppl. 26 Sept. 1064/3 A morning's browsing in a book shop will suffice for you to suss out the market.