saucy

English

WOTD – 30 October 2008

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)

• Rhymes: -ɔːsi
• Rhymes: -ɒsi

Adjective

saucy (comparative saucier, superlative sauciest)

1. Similar to sauce; having the consistency or texture of sauce.
2. Impertinent or disrespectful, often in a way that is regarded as entertaining or amusing; smart.
   • ~1603, William Shakespeare, Othello, the Moor of Venice, Act I, scene I, line 143:

     If this be known to you, and your allowance/ When we have done you bold and saucy wrongs.

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

3. Impudently bold; pert.
4. Sharp; pungent; piquant.
5. Mildly erotic.

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

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:cheeky

Derived terms

• saucily
• sauciness

Translations

similar to sauce

• Dutch: sausachtig

• Finnish: vetelä (fi), kastikemainen

impertinent or disrespectful

• Czech: oprsklý
• Dutch: brutaal (nl)
• Finnish: topakka (fi), tomera (fi)
• French: effronté (fr), impertinent (fr)

• Irish: brusanta
• Maori: nēnene
• Norwegian: frekk
• Russian: де́рзкий (ru) (dérzkij), на́глый (ru) (náglyj), наха́льный (ru) (naxálʹnyj)

impudently bold

• Czech: oprsklý
• Dutch: brutaal (nl)
• Finnish: räväkkä (fi)
• Maori: nēnene

• Norwegian: frekk
• Russian: де́рзкий (ru) (dérzkij)
• Swedish: fräck (sv)

mildly erotic

• Czech: šťavnatý
• Finnish: sähäkkä
• French: osé (fr)

• Hungarian: pikáns (hu)
• Norwegian: dristig
• Russian: непристо́йный (ru) (nepristójnyj), неприли́чный (ru) (neprilíčnyj)

See also

• sassy

Anagrams

• yucas