sous

IPA/ˈsuː ˌʃef/
KK[sˈuz]IPA/ˈsuː ˌʃef/

sous — noun

  • soussingular
  • sousesplural

1. a cook who is second in charge in a professional kitchen, responsible for helpin

1.名詞B2
釋義

a cook who is second in charge in a professional kitchen, responsible for helping the head chef and managing the other kitchen staff.

例句

Amira was promoted to sous after working at the restaurant for two years.

promoted to sous — career progression in a kitchen

The sous checked every plate before the waiter carried it to the table.

同義詞
  • sous-chef

    the full, more formal term; 'sous' is the casual shortening used among kitchen staff

  • deputy chef

    less common in English kitchens; 'sous-chef' or 'sous' is the standard term

  • second chef

    used mainly in British hotel job titles, less frequent than 'sous'

文法句型

sous + verb

用法筆記

Commonly used in the restaurant industry as a short form of 'sous-chef'. Frequently preceded by an article ('a sous', 'the sous').

常見錯誤

She works as a sous chef in the kitchen.
She works as a sous in the kitchen.
💡When using the short form 'sous', do not add 'chef' after it.

2. a historical French coin worth very little; also used figuratively to refer to a

2.名詞C1
釋義

a historical French coin worth very little; also used figuratively to refer to a tiny sum of money, particularly in the fixed expression 'not a sou' (meaning having no money).

例句

Grandfather kept a few old French sous in a wooden box on his desk.

old French sous — historical coin reference

Kabir found a copper sou from 1850 at the antique market last Sunday.

同義詞
  • penny

    a British coin of low value; used similarly in figurative phrases ('not a penny'), but not interchangeable in historical contexts

  • centime

    the French coin that replaced the sou after decimalisation; one-hundredth of a franc

  • copper

    informal term for a low-value coin, but not specific to French currency

文法句型

a sou

several sous

not a sou (idiomatic)

用法筆記

The singular form 'sou' may appear in fixed expressions like 'not a sou' or 'every sou'. 'Sous' is the regular plural. This sense is now historical since France adopted the euro in 2002.

常見錯誤

I have not a sous.
I do not have a sou.
💡In the negative expression, the singular 'sou' is the traditional form, even though 'sous' is the usual plural.