so 
Thou art as tyrannous, so as thou art. 
As those whose beauties proudly make them eraaL 
Shak., Sonnets, cxxxi. 
(6) So long as ; provided that. 
O, never mind ; so as you get them off [the stage], I'll 
answer for it the audience won't care how. 
Sheridan, The Critic, ii. 2. 
He could play 'em a tune on any sort of pot you please, 
so as it was iron or block tin. Dickens, Bleak House, xxvi. 
(c) With the purpose or result that ; to that degree that : 
now followed by an infinitive phrase, or, in dialectal use, 
a clause of purpose or result. 
And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as 
snow ; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 
Mark ix. 3. 
D'ye s'pose ef Jeff giv him a lick, 
Ole liick'ry 'd tried his head to sof'n 
So ' 't wouldn't hurt thet ebony stick 
Thet 's made our side see stare so of 'n ? 
Louiell, Biglow Papers, 2d ser., vii. 
SO called, commonly called ; commonly so styled : often 
a saving clause introduced to indicate that the writer or 
speaker does not accept the name, either because he re- 
gards It as erroneous or misleading, or because he wishes 
for his particular purpose to modify or improve the defi- 
nition: as, this liberty, so called, is only license; one of 
the three so-called religions of China- 
He advocates the supremacy of Human Law against the 
so-called doctrine of Divine Kight. 
Selden, Table-Talk, p. 10. 
So far forth. See far-forth, 2. So long. See so-long. 
So many. Seemanyi.a. So much. (a)To that amount; 
just to that extent : as, our remonstrances were so much 
wasted effort. (o) Such a quantity regarded indefinitely 
or disti ibutivcly : as, so much of this kind and so much of 
that. Compare so many, under manyl, a. 
Ef this 'ere railkin' o' the wits, 
So much a month, warn't givin' Natur' fits. 
Lowell, Biglow Papers, 2d ser , vi. 
So much as, however much. 
So much as you admire the beauty of his verse, his prose 
is full as good. Pope. 
So that, (a) To the end that ; in order that ; with the 
purpose or intention that : as, these measures were taken 
so that he might escape, (d) With the effect or result that. 
And when the ark ... came into the camp, all Israel 
shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. 
1 Sam. iv. 5. 
The cider is such an enormous crop that it is sold at 
ten shillings per hogshead ; sothat a human creature may 
lose his reason for a penny. 
Sydney Smith, To the Countess Grey, 
(c) Provided that ; in case that ; if. 
Poor Queen ! so that thy state might be no worse, 
I would my skill were subject to thy curse. 
Shak., Rich. II.. iii. 4. 102. 
It [a project] involves the devotion of all my energies, 
. . . but that is nothing, so that it succeeds. 
Dic/cens, Bleak House, iv. 
So SO, only thus (implying but an ordinary degree of ex- 
cellence) ; only tolerably ; not remarkably. [Colloq. ] 
She is a mighty proper maid, and pretty comely, but so 
so; but hath a most pleasing tone of voice, and speaks 
handsomely. Pepys, Diary, IV. 129. 
Dr. Taylor [Johnson's old schoolfellow] read the service 
[at Dr. Johnson's funeral], but so so. 
Dr. S. Parr, quoted in N. and Q., 7th ser., X. 274. 
So to say, SO to speak, to use or borrow that expres- 
sion ; speaking figuratively, by analogy, or in approximate 
terms : as, a moral monstrosity, so to speak. 
The habits, the manners, the bye-play, so to speak, of 
those picturesque antiques, the pensioners of Greenwich 
College? D. Jerrold, Men of Character, II. 165. 
The huge original openings are thus divided, so to say, 
into two open stories. The Century, XXXV. 705. 
So well ast, as well as ; in the same way as. 
The rest overgrowne with trees, which, so well as the 
bushes, were so overgrowne with Vines we could scarce 
passe them. Quoted in Capt. John Smith's Works, 1. 106. 
Than sot, than something indicated or signified ; than 
that. 
Itane contemnor abs te > I, am I so little set by of thee : 
yea, make you no more account of me than so? 
Terence in English (1614). (Hares.) 
=Syn, 7. Wherefore, Accordingly. See therefore. 
II. conj. If. In, of, or to what degree, extent, 
amount, intensity, or the like; as: used with 
or without the correlative adverb so or as, in 
connecting subordinate with principal clauses. 
See sl, II. 
He was brijt so the glas, 
He was whit so the flur, 
Rose red was his colur. 
King Born (E. E. T. S.), p. 1. 
So shalt thow come to a court as cleer so the sonne 
Piers Plmimian (C), viii. 232. 
2f. In the manner that; even as; as. 
Tho so wurth fwasl ligt so god [God] it bad. 
Genesis and Exodus (E. E. T. S.), 1. 57. 
Wary so water in wore [weir] 
Alysoun, 1. 38. (T. Wright's Specimens of Lyric Poetry.) 
Alias ! thi lovesnm eyghen to 
Loketh m man doth on his fo 
Sir Orjiheo (ed. Laing), 1. 74. (Balliwell.) 
3. In such a manner that; sothat: followed bv 
a clause of purpose or result. 
Thanne seide I to my-self so Pacience it herde 
Piers Plowman (BX xiii. 64. 
6740 
4. Provided that; on condition that; in case 
that. 
"At jowre preyere," quod Pacyenco tho, "so no man 
displese hym." Piers Plowman (B), xiii. 135. 
And, so ye wil me now to wyve take 
As ye han sworn, than wol I yive yow leve 
To sleen me. Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 1319. 
Or any other pretty invention, so it had been sudden. 
B. Jonsoii, Cynthia's Kevels, iii. 1. 
Soon sot, as soon as. 
The child him answerde 
Sone so he hit herde. 
King Horn (E. E. T. S.), p. 6. 
Sone so he wist 
That I was of Wittis hous and with his wyf dame Studye. 
Piers Plowman (B), x. 226. 
SO 1 (so), interj. [The adv. so used elliptically: 
'stand, hold, keep, etc., so.'] 1. Go quietly! 
gently! easy now! be still : often used in quiet- 
ing a restless animal. Sometimes spelled soli. 
The cheerful milkmaid takes her stool, 
And sits and milks in the twilight cool, 
Saying, "So.' so, boss! so! so!" 
J. T. Trowkridge, Farm-Yard Song. 
2. Naut., a direction to the helmsman to keep 
the ship steady: as, steady, so! steady! 
S0 2 t, See soe. 
S. 0. In exchange transactions, an abbreviation 
of seller's option. See seller*. 
soat, ". Same as soe. 
Soak (sok), v. [< ME. soken, soak, suck, < AS. 
socimi, soak (AS. Leeehdoms, ii. 252, 1. 11 ; iii. 
14, 1. 17), lit. suck, a secondary form of sucan 
(pp. socen), suck: see suck.] I. intrans. 1. To 
lie in and become saturated with water or some 
other liquid; steep. 
Sokyn yn lycure (as thyng to be made softe, or other 
so-and-so 
7. To suck dry; exhaust; drain. [Ran-.] 
His feastings, wherein he was only sumptuous, could 
not but soat his exchequer. Wotton. 
8. To bake thoroughly: said of the lengthened 
baking given, in particular, to bread, so that 
the cooking may be complete. [Prov. Eng. and 
U. S.] 9. To "put in soak"; pawn; pledge: 
as, he soaked his watch for ten dollars, nSlang.] 
To soak or soak up bait, to consume much bait with- 
out taking the hook, as flab. [Fishermen's slang.) 
soak (sok), n. [< soak, v.] 1. A soaking, in 
any sense of the verb. 2. Specifically, a drink- 
ing-bout ; a spree. 
When a Southron intends to have a soa*-, he takes the 
bottle to his bedside, goes to bed, and lies there till he 
gets drunk 
Parsom's Tour Among the Planters. (Bartlett.) 
3. That in which anything is soaked ; a steep. 
A soak or steep for seeds. New Amer. Farm Book, p. 58. 
4. One who or that which soaks, (a) A land- 
spring. HalKwell. [Prov. Eng.] (6) A tippler ; a hard 
drinker. [Colloq.] 
5. An over-stocking, with or Without a foot, 
worn over the long stocking for warmth or pro- 
tection from dirt. Compare boot-hose, xtirrup- 
hose.To put In soak, to put in pawn ; pawn ; pledge : 
as, to put one's rings in sou*-. [Slang. ] 
soakage (so'kaj), n. [< soak + -age.] The act 
of soaking; also, that which soaks; the amount 
of fluid absorbed by soaking. 
The entire country from Gozerajup to Cassaln is a dead 
Bat . . . There is no drainage upon this perfect level; 
thus, during the rainy season, the soakage actually melts 
the soli. Sir S. W. Baker, Heart of Africa, i. 
It shall be rulable to allow soakage to cover the moisture 
absorbed by the package from its contents as follows, etc. 
New York Produce Exchange Report, 1888 - 8, p. 808. 
cawsys ellys).' Prompt. Pan., p. 463. soa k-barrel (sok'bar'el), n. A barrel in which 
The farmer who got his hay In before the recent rains f res h fl s h are put to soak before salting. 
nmny C acreT nclghboure wh 8e crop lies ***"* OTer soaker (so'ker), . [< soak + -'!.] One who 
Mortimer Collins, Thoughts In my Garden, I. 5. or that which soaks, (a) That which steeps, wets, or 
drenches, as a rain. 
Well, sir, suppose it's a soaker in the morning, . . . 
then may be, after all, it comes out a fine day. 
Mayheif, London Labour and London Poor, I. 314. 
(6) A habitual drinker ; one accustomed to drink spirituous 
liquors to excess ; a toper. [Colloq.] 
By a good natur'd man is usually meant neither more 
nor less than a good fellow, a painful, able, and laborious 
soaker. South, Sermons, VI. ill. 
2. To pass, especially to enter, as a liquid, 
through pores or interstices; penetrate thor- 
oughly by saturation : followed by in or through. 
That all the tears that thy poor eyes let fall 
-ink. and soaking in 
May run into that si 
Drown the lamenting fool in sea-salt tears. 
Shak., Tit. And., iii. 2. 19. 
A composition . . . hard as marble, and not to be soked 
through Dy water. Sandys, Travailes, p. 231. 
3f. To flow. 
The Sun 's a good Pimple, an honest maker; he has a Cel- 
lar at your Antipodes. Congreve, Way of the World, iv. 10. 
The sea-breezes and the currents thatsoa* down between soak-hole (sok'hol), n. A space marked off in 
Africa and Brazil. Dampier, Voyages, II. iii. 8. 
4. To drink intemperately and habitually, es- 
pecially strong drink; booze; be continually 
under the influence of liquor. 
You do nothing but soak with the guests all day long ; 
whereas, if a spoonful of liquor were to cure me of a fever, 
I never touch a drop. Goldsmith, Vicar, xxi. 
5. To become drained or dry. Compare soaA-, 
. t., 7. HalUwell. [Prov. Eng.] 6. To sit 
over the fire absorbing the heat. [Prov. Eng.] 
Hence 7. To receive a prolonged baking; 
bake thoroughly: said of bread. [Southern 
II. trans. 1. To cause to lie immersed in a 
liquid until thoroughly saturated ; steep : as, to 
soak rice in water; to soak a sponge. 
a stream, in which sheep are washed before 
shearing. [Australia.] 
Parallel poles, resting on forks driven Into the bed of 
the waterhole, were run out on the surface of the stream, 
f'irniiii!.' square soak-holes, a long narrow lane leading to 
the dry land. A. C. Grant, Bush Life in Queensland, 1. 82. 
soaking (so'king), n. [< ME. sokynge; verbal 
n. of soak, v.] 1. A steeping; a wetting; a 
drenching. 
Sokynge, or longe lyynge in lycure. Infusio, inblbitura. 
Prompt. Pan., p. 463. 
Few in the ships escaped a good soaking. 
Cook, Second Voyage, i. 1. 
2. Intemperate and continual drinking. Com- 
pare soak, v. i., 4. [Colloq.] 
soakingly (so'king-li), adv. As in soaking; 
hence, little by little ; gradually. 
A mannes enemies In battail are to be ouercomed with 
a carpenter's squaring axe that is to say, soakingly, one 
pece after an other. 
Udatt, tr. of Apophthegms of Erasmus. 
Their land shall be soaked with blood. Isa. xxxiy. 7. soaking-pit (so'king-pit), n. A pit in which 
Winter oo*s the fields. Cowper, Task, i. 2ift. steel ingots are placed immediately after cast- 
3. To take up by absorption ; absorb through !"&' in order that the mass ma >' inquire a uni- 
pores or other openings; suck in, as a liauid lorm temperature, the interior of such ingots 
remaining for some time after casting too hot 
to roll satisfactorily. These pits are generally known 
as "Gjers soaking-pits,' from the nameof the metalluigirt 
who first introduced them into use. 
Soaky (so'ki), a. [Also dial, socky; < soak + -yl. 
Cf. soggy.] 1. Moist on the surface; steeped 
in water; soggy. 2. Effeminate. BaUncell. 
[Prov. Eng.] 
soam 1 (som), n. [Origin obscure.] 1. A chain 
for attaching the leading horses to a plow, it 
is supported by a hanger beneath the clevis, in order to 
preserve the line of draft and avoid pulling down the nose 
Her voice is as cracked as thine, O thou beer-sooKn.? of the plow-beam. E. B. Knight. 
Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Ixvi. 2. A short rope used to pull the tram in a coal- 
5. To penetrate, work, or accomplish by wet- mine. HalUwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
ting thoroughly : often with through. SOam 2 (som). n. [A var. of seo 2 .] A horse- 
The rivulet beneath soaked its way obscurely through loa(J - HalUwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
"reaths of snow. scdtt. so-and-so (so'aiid-so), . Some one or some- 
6f. To make soft as by steeping hence to en- thing not definitely named : commonly rcpre- 
feeble; enervate. senting some person or thing in an imaginary 
And furth with all she came t* the kyng ? r s u PPs ed instance : as, Mrs. So-and-so ; was 
Which was febyll and sofri/d with sekenesse. ne wrong in doing so-and-so t Compare SO 1 , 
Qencrydes (E. E. T. S.), 1. 234. adv., 5. 
Many of our princes woe the while ! 
Lie drown'd and soak'il in mercenary blood. 
Shak., Hen. V., iv. 7. 79. 
2. To flood; saturate; drench; steep. 
, liquid 
or other fluid: followed by in or up. 
Hot. Take you me for a sponge, my lord ? 
Ham. Ay, sir, that soa*g up the king's countenance, his 
rewards, his authorities. Shak., Hamlet, iv. 2. 16. 
The thirsty earth soaks up the rain. 
Cowley, Anacreontiques, ii. 
4. Heuce, to drink; especially, to drink im- 
moderately; guzzle. 
Scarce a Ship goes to China but the Men come home fat 
with soaking this Liquor [Arrack], and bring store of Jars 
of it home with them. Dampier, Voyages, 1 419. 
