The origins of 'Sus' are suspect and suspicious

boing
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Originally published at: The origins of 'Sus' are suspect and suspicious | Boing Boing

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I can truthfully state that I picked it up from watching a lot of the “friends playing Among Us” videos.

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Suss sus?

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I only just used it yesterday to make funny ha ha, it doesn’t roll off the tongue for me.

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It’s been used as an abbreviation for “suspicious” in Australia (as an adjective, tho “sussed out” is fairly common too) for so long that it’s not even regarded as slang anymore, but there’s a tendency to abbreviate most things over here.

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Suss out is also common American South slang, if my upbringing is any indication, didn’t even realize it was regional but TIL.

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First finding of “Suss out” in Google Books in 1966

And “The Drug Scene in Great Britain” from 1967 (what a book that must be) has “Suss” as “to suspect” in its glossary

And by around 1971 it’s common enough slang to be found in books, magazines, and the newspapers.

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image

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Sus sus sus sus sus sus sus sus suspect device:

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Nah, I’d advise against using that too often. Oink.

SUS (Latin) : Definitions:

  1. hog, pig, sow
  2. swine
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Also ‘Suspiria,’ which is short for ‘1 minute of dance in 180 minutes of alleged witching.’

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I kept waiting for that Tophat song to turn to satire…and kept waiting…no…it’s really just a kid video. Hmm.

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To sus or to be suss - that is the question. Actually the single S looks a bit sus to me - like it’s an abbreviation of an abbreviation. Often noted on early British cop shows, it’s standard parlance in the military - and far easier to say than reconnoitre. Kind of odd though that something that is considered sus at first glance might turn out to be perfectly harmless/suitable when further sussed out.

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Two sus’s in one day now thats sus,

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Not sure if this is drawing a long bow, a bit sus, but the ‘susso’ was an Australian depression worker in the 30’s that essentially ‘worked for the dole’ making out a sustenance living. The ‘dole’ was what was doled out to the poor, money or goods.

I’ve interviewed some older folk that refer to the “sussos” and in general their attitude was hard working but not one of us… a bit sus…

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