[son] See: FAVORITE SON, LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON.

[song] See: FOR A SONG.

[song and dance]{n.}, {informal} 1. Foolish or uninteresting talk;dull nonsense. Usually used with "give". •/I met Nancy today and she gave mea long song and dance about her family./ 2. A long lie or excuse, often meantto get pity. Usually used with "give". •/Billy gave the teacher a song anddance about his mother being sick as an excuse for being late./ •/The trampasked us for money and tried to give us a big song and dance about having tobuy a bus ticket to Chicago./

[sonic boom]{n.} A loud noise and vibration in the air, made when ajet plane passes the speed of sound (1087 feet per second). •/Fast jet planessometimes cause a sonic boom, which can break windows and crack the plaster inhouses below them./ •/We thought there was an explosion or earthquake, butit was only a sonic boom that shook the house./

[son of a bitch] or [sunuvabitch] also S.O.B. {n. phr.},{vulgar}, {avoidable} (but becoming more and more acceptable,especially if said with a positive or loving intonation). Fellow, character,guy, individual. Negatively: •/Get out of here you filthy, miserablesunuvabitch!/ Positively: •/So you won ten million dollars at the lottery,you lucky son of a bitch (or sunuvabitch)!/ Compare: SON OF A GUN.

[son of a gun]{n. phr.}, {slang} 1. A bad person; a person notliked. •/I don’t like Charley; keep that son of a gun out of here./ Syn.:BAD ACTOR. 2. A mischievous rascal; a lively guy. — Often used in a jokingway. •/The farmer said he would catch the son of a gun who let the cows outof the barn./ •/Hello Bill, you old son of a gun!/ Compare: SO AND SO. 3.Something troublesome; a hard job. •/The test today was a son of a gun./Used as an exclamation, usually to show surprise or disappointment. •/Son ofa gun! I lost my car keys./ Compare: SON OF A BITCH.

[soon] See: AS SOON, FOOL AND HIS MONEY ARE SOON PARTED.

[sooner] See: HAD RATHER or HAD SOONER, NO SOONER --- THAN.

[sooner or later]{adv. phr.} At some unknown time in the future;sometime. •/John will come back sooner or later./ •/Grandpa is very slowabout fixing things around the house, but he always does it sooner or later./Compare: OR OTHER.

[sore] See: SIGHT FOR SORE EYES.

[sore spot] or [sore point] {n.} A weak or sensitive part; asubject or thing about which someone becomes angry or upset easily. •/Don’task Uncle John why his business failed; it’s a sore spot with him./ Compare:WHERE THE SHOE PINCHES.

[sorrow] See: DROWN ONE’S SORROWS.

[sort] See: OF SORTS, IN A WAY also IN A SORT OF WAY.

[sort of] See: KIND OF.

[sort out]{v. phr.} 1. To alphabetize; arrange in numerical order.•/The secretary helped Professor Brown sort out his numerous index cards./2. To clarify. •/"Help me sort out these bills," she begged her husband./

[so-so]{adj.} Fair; neither good nor bad. •/The children’s gradeswere just so-so on the test./ •/How is the fishing today? So-so./

[so that]{conj.} 1. or in order that; for the purpose that; so. — "Sothat" is usually followed by "can" or "could"; "in order that" is usuallyfollowed by "may" or "might". •/Let’s get ready now so that we can leave whenFather comes./ •/Betty saved her money in order that she might buy adoll./ Compare: IN ORDER TO. 2. With the result that; so. •/My pencil fellunder my desk, so that I couldn’t see it./ •/George often told stories thatweren’t true, so that no one believed him when he told about a deer in theschool yard./

[so --- that] — Used with an adjective or adverb before a clause ofresult. •/The bus was so full that I could hardly turn around./ •/Billypitched so well that everyone cheered him at the end of the game./

[so to speak]{adv. phr.} To say it in this way. •/John was, so tospeak, the leader of the club, but he was officially only the club’ssecretary./ •/The horse, so to speak, danced on his hind legs./ Compare:AS IT WERE.

[sought after]{adj.} Wanted by many buyers; searched for. •/Antiquesare much sought after nowadays./ Syn.: IN DEMAND.

[soul] See: HEART AND SOUL, KEEP BODY AND SOUL TOGETHER.

[soul-searching] See: SEARCH ONE’S HEART or SEARCH ONE S SOUL.

[sound] See: HIGH-SOUNDING, SAFE AND SOUND.

[sound effects]{n.} The noises made to imitate real sounds in a play,movie, or program. •/Greg agreed to plan the sound effects for the classplay./ •/The movie was good but the sound effects were not very true tolife./

[sound off]{v.} 1. To say your name or count "One! Two! Three! Four!"as you march. — Used as orders in U.S. military service. •/"Sound off!" saidthe sergeant, and the soldiers shouted, "One! Two! Three! Four!" with each stepas they marched./ 2. {informal} To tell what you know or think in a loudclear voice, especially to brag or complain. •/If you don’t like the waywe’re doing the job, sound off!/ •/George sounded off about how the gameshould have been played./ •/The teacher is always sounding off about thestudents not doing their homework./ Compare: SPEAK ONE’S PIECE, SPEAK OUT.

[sound out]{v.} To try to find out how a person feels about somethingusually by careful questions. •/Alfred sounded out his boss about a day offfrom his job./ •/When you see the coach, sound him out about my chances ofgetting on the basketball team./ Syn.: FEEL OUT.

[sound sheet]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} A thin low-qualityphonograph recording frequently bound into books and magazines for use aspromotional or advertising material; it may have either a spoken or a musicalmessage. •/Don’t throw that away; Sue is collecting sound sheets for hermarket research course./

[sound truck]{n. phr.} A truck equipped with loudspeakers. •/Duringthe senatorial campaign, the streets of the big city were full of sound trucksblaring out messages./

[soup] See: IN THE SOUP.

[souped-up]{adj.}, {informal} More powerful or faster because ofchanges and additions. •/Many teen-aged boys like to drive souped-up cars./•/The basketball team won the last five games with souped-up plays./

[so what]{informal} Used as an impolite reply showing that you don’tcare about what another has said. •/Roy boasted that he was in the sixthgrade, but Ted said, "So what? I am in Junior High."/ Syn.: WHAT OF IT.

[sow one’s wild oats]{v. phr.} To do bad or foolish things, especiallywhile you are young. •/Mr. Jones sowed his wild oats while he was in college,but now he is a wiser and better man./

[space] See: OUTER SPACE.

[spaced out]{adj.}, {slang}, {informal} Having gaps in one’strain of thought, confused, incoherent; resembling the behavior of someone whois under the influence of drugs. •/Joe’s been acting funny lately — spacedout, you might say./

[space probe]{n.}, {Space English} An unmanned spacecraft otherthan an Earth satellite fitted with instruments which gather and transmitinformation about other planets in the solar system (e.g., Venus, Mars, andJupiter) on what are called fly-by missions, i.e., without the craft landing onany of these bodies. •/Both the U.S.A. and Russia have sent up many a spaceprobe in the past decade./