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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Sals, Sauce, Sace, n. Also: salse, saulce, sawce, sause, saws, sauch, sawche. [North. ME salse (a1410), ME and e.m.E. sauce (1350), sawce, sause (both Chaucer), sas(e (1481–90), sace (1533), saulce (1558), OF sausse, salce (c1175 and c1240 in Larousse), pop. L. salsa.]

1. Sauce; a sauce. Also attrib. with dish.(a) c1450-2 Howlat 705 (A).
The boytour callit was cuke … Mony sawouris sals [B. sawce] with sewaris he send a1500 Henr. Test. Cress. 421.
The sweit meitis, seruit … With saipheron sals of ane gude sessoun a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 1338 (Asl.).
The moder fra mylk spanand hir child With sum sowre sals hir pape scho will ourplant 1533 Boece 477.
Thai … ceirssit nowthir delicate … coursis nor corruptit thame be na sals nor sessoun of spicerie(b) 1549 Treas. Acc. IX 330.
For ane creill and lame pot to turs ane cwpoun of sture witht the saws a1605 Montg. Flyt. 500 (T).
Bot wes no dayntie dische, Ane foul … fiche; Insteid of sawche [ed. sawthe; H. sault], on it they piche 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Embamma, a sawce, ‘intinctus’ 1665–7 Lauder Jrnl. 92.
The French mock at our sweit sauses and sugared salladesattrib. 1674 Edinb. Test. LXXV 13.
Thrie truncheres ane sauch dish thrie pynt stoupes(c) 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 167/1.
Lett all youre foode be of simples uithout composition or saulces, quhilke are lyker medecines then meate

b. transf. 1375 Barb. iii 540.
Thai eyt it with full gud will That soucht na nother sals [H. sauce] thar-till Bot appetyt, that oft men takys 1533 Boece 477.
To thare refectioun thai brocht with thame the best and hailsum sals quhilk was thare body weill exercit in laubouris

c. proverb. a1598 Ferg. Prov. No. 764.
Seik your sauce where you get your ail

2. fig. or in fig. context. a. A bitter or offensive accompaniment to a circumstance. b. Piquant or bitter treatment; unhappy fortune.a. 1566-70 Buch. Comm. on Virgil Georgics iii 528.
Simplicis, nullis irritamentis commendate (without any sauce to it) 1572 Sempill Sat. P. xxxviii 49.
Thy syster thou maryit, thy saces was sourb. c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 187/19.
Defy the warld, feynȝeit and fals, … Of quhais subchettis sour is the sals 1560 Rolland Seven S. 3511.
The sals that thow seruis at my hand I can not weill indyte 1596 Dalr. II 52/21.
I hope that ȝe schortlie all ȝour sour salse sall find sasouned with sueitnes and ȝour miserie rewardet with al felicitie 1604-31 Craig ii 117.
Thy sute (my sweet) is seasond with such sals, We shall not friend so long as thou art fals Ib. 119.(b) 1560 Cal. Sc. P. I 389.
[Copy of letter … wherein I find neither] sawce nor verius