saucy

English

WOTD – 30 October 2008

Alternative forms

• sauce-y, saucey
• sawcy (obsolete)

Etymology

From sauce +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔː.sɪ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔ.si/
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈsɑ.si/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːsi
• Rhymes: -ɒsi

Adjective

saucy (comparative saucier, superlative sauciest)

1. Similar to sauce; having the consistency or texture of sauce.

   Bring the tomatoes to a boil and then simmer until they reach a saucy consistency.

2. (figurative) Impertinent or disrespectful, often in a manner that is regarded as entertaining or amusing; smart.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:cheeky

   She is a loud, saucy child who doesn't show a lot of respect to her elders.

   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 311, column 1, line 143:

     If this be knowne to you, and your Allowance, / We then haue done you bold, and ſaucie wrongs.

   • 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter XVII, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume I, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 216:

     And books!—Thomson, Cowper, Scott;—she would buy them all over and over again; she would buy up every copy I believe, to prevent their falling into unworthy hands; and she would have every book that tells her how to admire an old twisted tree. Should not you, Marianne? Forgive me, if I am very saucy. But I was willing to shew you that I had not forgot our old disputes.

3. Impudently bold; pert.
   • 1923, Lucy Maud Montgomery, “Chapter 8”, in Emily of New Moon:

     Her mouth was large, and she had a saucy, pronounced chin.

4. Sharp; pungent; piquant.
5. Mildly erotic.

   I enjoyed the dancing, but my husband found it a little too saucy.

   • 1933, Stella Blum, Everyday Fashion of the Thirties as pictured in Sears Catalogs, published 1986, page 46:

     Saucy epaulet shoulder and full sleeves that fit into neat button trimmed cuffs.

   • 2012 December 17, John Plunkett, “The X Factor did not breach code with 'saucy' dance routine, Ofcom rules”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN:

     An episode of ITV1's The X Factor which featured a Britney Spears impersonator performing a "saucy" routine in a body stocking did not breach the broadcasting code, media regulator Ofcom has ruled.

Derived terms

• oversaucy
• sassy
• saucily
• sauciness

 

Related terms

• applesaucey
• tomato-saucy

 

Translations

similar to sauce

• Czech: omáčkový (cs) m
• Dutch: sausachtig
• Finnish: vetelä (fi), kastikemainen
• German: soßenartig

impertinent or disrespectful

• Bulgarian: дързък (bg) (dǎrzǎk), нахален (bg) (nahalen)
• Czech: oprsklý
• Dutch: brutaal (nl)
• Finnish: topakka (fi), tomera (fi)
• French: effronté (fr), impertinent (fr)
• German: keck (de), kess (de), frech (de)
• Irish: brusanta
• Italian: impertinente (it)
• Maori: nēnene
• Norwegian: frekk
• Plautdietsch: frajch
• Russian: де́рзкий (ru) (dérzkij), на́глый (ru) (náglyj), наха́льный (ru) (naxálʹnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: drzak (sh)
• Spanish: travieso (es), pícaro (es)

impudently bold

• Bulgarian: дързък (bg) (dǎrzǎk)
• Czech: oprsklý
• Dutch: brutaal (nl)
• Finnish: räväkkä (fi)
• German: schamlos (de), frech (de)
• Maori: nēnene
• Norwegian: frekk
• Plautdietsch: frajch
• Russian: де́рзкий (ru) (dérzkij)
• Swedish: fräck (sv)

mildly erotic

• Czech: šťavnatý
• Dutch: pikant (nl)
• Finnish: sähäkkä (fi)
• French: osé (fr)
• German: gewagt (de)
• Hungarian: pikáns (hu)
• Norwegian: dristig
• Russian: непристо́йный (ru) (nepristójnyj), неприли́чный (ru) (neprilíčnyj)
• Ukrainian: пікантний m (pikantnyj)

See also

• sassy

Anagrams

• yucas