souse

noun

1. Something kept or steeped in brine.

   “And he that can rear up a pig in his house, / Hath cheaper his bacon, and sweeter his souse.”

2. (Appalachia, US)Something kept or steeped in brine.
3. (Caribbean)Something kept or steeped in brine.
4. Something kept or steeped in brine.
5. Something kept or steeped in brine.
6. The act of sousing; a plunging into water.
7. A drunkard.

   “"If there's any, giving in charge here I'll give you in charge for sneaking my beer, you slop-bellied old souse!" exclaimed Peter.”

8. The act of sousing, or swooping.

   “Eft fierce retourning as a foulcon fayre, / That once hath failed of her souse full neare”

9. A heavy blow.

   “With that his murdrous mace he vp did reare, / That seemed nought the souse thereof could beare,”

10. (obsolete)A sou (the French coin).
11. (dated)A small amount.
12. (Internet, US, alt-of, pronunciation-spelling)Pronunciation spelling of source.

verb

1. (transitive)To immerse in liquid; to steep or drench.

   “(Although I bee well soused in this showere,)”

   “For then I viewd his body fall and ſowſe / Into the fomy maine, […]”

   “As for my ſelf, they uſed to ſowſe me over head and ears in water when I was a boy”

   “As she heard him sousing heartily in cold water, heard the eager scratch of the steel comb on the side of the bowl, as he wetted his hair, she closed her eyes in disgust.”

2. (transitive)To steep in brine; to pickle.
3. (dialectal, transitive)To strike, beat.
4. (dialectal, intransitive)To fall heavily.

   “Him so transfixed she before her bore / Beyond his croupe, the length of all her launce; / Till, sadly soucing on the sandy shore, / He tombled on an heape, and wallowd in his gore.”

   “Thus on some silver swan or tim'rous hare / Jove's bird comes sowsing down from upper air”

5. (obsolete, transitive)To pounce upon.

   “[The gallant monarch] like an eagle o'er his eyrie towers, / To souse annoyance that comes near his nest.”

adv

1. (archaic, dialectal, not-comparable)Suddenly, without warning.

   “Mr Nash […] suddenly taking the gentleman by the collar of his coat, and waistband of his breeches, threw him souse over the parapet to the object of his love.”