slut’s wool n. dust and debris that gathers beneath furniture (in supposed reference to slatternly housekeeping habits) idiom
slype n. covered passageway, esp. from chapter house to a cathedral’s transept architecture
small-clothes n. underwear archaic
smalt n. powdered glass admixed with cobalt oxide, used to add color to glass products
smaragdine adj. of or relating to emeralds; emerald green
smarm v. to smooth down with ointment or grease; to fawn over
smellfungus n. one who finds faults, grumbler archaic
smoker n. casual get-together for men at which cigars or other tobacco products are smoked informal
smudger n. photographer, photojournalist slang
smut n. soot particle
smutch v. to smudge or soil; to stain, to sully
snaffle n. large ringed horse bit
snaffle v. to purloin, to swipe British
sneap v. to pinch; to repress, to chide
sneck n. door or window latch Scots
snib v. to latch Scots
snollygoster n. shrewd unscrupulous person
snook n. 2 protandric hermaphrodite fish of the Caribbean
snook n. 1 rude gesture in which one puts the thumb on the nose and extends the fingers
snooter n. snooty person, snob informal
snorter n. rip-roarer, remarkable thing; one who snorts slang
snug v. to lash down or stow away, as in preparation for a storm nautical
snuggery n. cozy or comfortable room, esp. of small size British
sobriquet n. nickname
socage n. tenure of land by rent or service not including military service
sockdolager n. knockout blow, decisive argument or reply; unusually heavy or large thing
sodality n. companionship, fellowship; an association; society for Catholic laypeople
soffit n. under surface of architectural feature, such as a lintel, architrave, vault, or arch
sogering v. goldbricking, shirking hard work obsolete
soigné adj. well-groomed, fashionably made up
soilure n. act of soiling; staining, dirtiness
solecism n. grammatical error; breach of good manners; any inconsistency or error
solfeggio n. do-re-mi system of learning notes of the scale
solideme n. undivided unhyphenated compound word
soothmoother n. outsider Scots
sorb n. fruit-bearing deciduous tree of the old world, the service tree; the fruit of this tree
sorites n. series of propositions or syllogisms where each conclusion becomes the subject of the next rhetoric
sorn v. to sponge off, to mooch Scots
sorted adj. completed, organized, arranged
sotadic adj. of erotic or pornographic material (after Sotades, the first known Greek erotic poet)
soteriology n. doctrine of salvation
sotto voce adv. in an undertone, in a quiet voice, quietly
soubise n. onion sauce
soubrette n. lady’s maid in a theatrical production; maidservant
sough v. to sigh, to murmur, to make a rushing or murmuring sound
soup and fish n. tuxedo, evening clothes slang
souse v. to immerse or plunge something in water, etc.; to drench; to pickle in brine, etc.
soutane n. cassock of Roman Catholic clergy
spadix n. spike of tiny flowers botany
spadroon n. straight single-edged light sword of the 18th and 19th Centuries
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