sauces
sauces — noun
- saucessingular
- saucesesplural
1. a liquid or semi-solid food preparation that is poured over or served alongside
a liquid or semi-solid food preparation that is poured over or served alongside a dish to give it more taste, moisture, or colour.
Hamza poured tomato sauce over his pasta before adding cheese on top.
pour + [type] sauce + over [food]
The chef prepared a creamy mushroom sauce to serve with the grilled steak.
Bao likes to dip his spring rolls in a sweet chilli sauce.
This bottle of soy sauce has been sitting on the shelf for nearly a year.
Kofi stirred the sauce slowly so that it would not burn at the bottom.
文法句型
[type of] sauce
sauce + noun (sauce bottle, sauce recipe)
用法筆記
Frequently used with a specifying word that names the main ingredient (tomato sauce, soy sauce, mushroom sauce). Can be countable when referring to different varieties ('three sauces on the table').
常見錯誤
2. alcoholic drink, especially when someone consumes it heavily or as a regular hab
alcoholic drink, especially when someone consumes it heavily or as a regular habit.
After losing his job, Gabriel went back on the sauce for several months.
go back on the sauce — resume heavy drinking
The doctor warned Lukas that his constant sauce habit was damaging his health.
sauce habit
"Have you been on the sauce again?" asked Nellie with a worried look.
Matthew decided to stay off the sauce for the whole month of January.
文法句型
on the sauce
用法筆記
Almost always used in the fixed phrase 'on the sauce' (drinking alcohol heavily) or 'off the sauce' (abstaining). Rarely used in other grammatical contexts for this sense.
常見錯誤
3. rude or cheeky remarks or behaviour, especially towards someone who expects resp
rude or cheeky remarks or behaviour, especially towards someone who expects respect such as a parent, teacher, or boss.
The teacher warned Tuan she would not accept any more of his sauce in class.
not accept any more of [possessive] sauce
Yasmin's grandmother scolded her for answering back with such sauce.
answer back with sauce
"Don't give me any of your sauce, young man!" shouted the coach from the sideline.
None of the children dared to speak with sauce to the headmaster.
- respect
polite regard for others, the opposite of rude behaviour
文法句型
[possessive] sauce
give someone sauce
with sauce
用法筆記
Older or more traditional usage; common in British English. Typically appears in the phrases 'give someone sauce' or 'your sauce' when rebuking someone. The person receiving the rudeness is usually in a position of authority.
4. fruit that has been cooked slowly with sugar until soft, then crushed or blended
fruit that has been cooked slowly with sugar until soft, then crushed or blended into a purée, eaten as a dessert or a side dish with savoury food.
Lucía spread a thick layer of apple sauce on her pork chop.
apple sauce + pork — common savoury pairing
The Christmas dinner included a bowl of cranberry sauce for the turkey.
Rohan's grandmother makes her own mango sauce every summer with fresh fruit.
Tariro served warm rhubarb sauce over vanilla ice cream for dessert.
文法句型
[fruit] sauce
用法筆記
The noun is usually uncountable but can be countable when referring to different varieties or portions ('two cranberry sauces on the table'). Common fruit sauces include apple, cranberry, rhubarb, and mango.
sauces — verb
- saucespresent simple I / you / we / they
- sauceses3rd person singular
- saucesing-ing form
- saucesedpast simple
1. to cover, coat, or serve food with a sauce or seasoned liquid, usually to add fl
to cover, coat, or serve food with a sauce or seasoned liquid, usually to add flavour or moisture.
The waiter sauced the grilled fish with a lemon butter dressing.
sauce + [food] + with + [sauce type]
Shirin carefully sauced each piece of chicken right before serving the dish.
The pasta was lightly sauced with a simple tomato and basil mixture.
You should sauce the vegetables just before eating so they stay crisp.
文法句型
sauce + [food]
be sauced with + [sauce type]
用法筆記
More common in formal or written cooking instructions than in everyday conversation. Most speakers would say 'put sauce on' or 'add sauce to' instead. Frequently used in the passive ('sauced with').
常見錯誤
2. to add excitement, interest, or variety to something that feels ordinary, dull,
to add excitement, interest, or variety to something that feels ordinary, dull, or plain.
The director sauced up the script with a few dramatic new scenes.
sauce up + [creative work]
Antonia likes to sauce her lectures with funny stories from her travels.
sauce [something] with [entertaining element]
The party was quite dull until Eri sauced it up with some dance music.
Adina sauced her plain white blouse with a bright red scarf.
文法句型
sauce up + [plain thing]
用法筆記
Often used with the particle 'up' ('sauce up'). The object can be an activity, a creative work, an outfit, or a social situation. This sense is figurative and much less common than the cooking sense.
3. to speak disrespectfully or impudently to someone, especially someone older or i
to speak disrespectfully or impudently to someone, especially someone older or in a position of authority.
The apprentice was nearly fired for saucing his boss during a team meeting.
sauce + [authority figure]
"Don't you sauce me, young lady!" cried Mrs. Okonkwo from the kitchen.
"don't you sauce me" — rebuke phrase
The students who sauced the substitute teacher were given detention.
Shirin refused to sauce her grandfather even when he was being unreasonable.
- talk back to
the common modern equivalent; 'sauce' sounds dated
- be cheeky to
British informal, less severe than 'sauce'
- insult
more general and more serious than 'sauce'
文法句型
sauce + [person]
用法筆記
Old-fashioned in modern British English; very rare in American English. Most younger speakers do not use this sense at all. Equivalent modern phrases are 'talk back to', 'be cheeky to', or 'give lip to'.