sod
sod — noun
- sodsingular
- sodsplural
1. In informal British use, a mildly offensive term for someone whose behaviour has
In informal British use, a mildly offensive term for someone whose behaviour has annoyed you, or for any object or situation that keeps causing trouble.
Some careless sod left the gate open, and Emre's dog got out.
noun + adjectival modifier: careless sod
The ancient boiler in Anjali's flat is a stubborn sod; it keeps breaking down every winter.
Adina called the repairman a useless sod for charging double the original estimate.
Owen tried to fix the leaking tap himself, but the blasted sod just would not stop dripping.
That computer is an awkward sod — it freezes whenever Soraya opens more than three windows.
文法句型
noun referring to a person or thing
用法筆記
Strongly offensive when directed at a person. Can be used more lightly about an object or situation. Avoid in formal or polite conversation.
常見錯誤
2. In British informal English, this noun follows an adjective such as 'poor', 'luc
In British informal English, this noun follows an adjective such as 'poor', 'lucky', or 'old' to talk about someone — usually a man — with sympathy, envy, or mild affection.
Feng has to work on Christmas Day; the poor sod never gets a proper holiday.
collocation: poor sod (sympathy)
Hyun won the lottery twice last year — the lucky sod bought a house by the beach.
collocation: lucky sod (envy)
The old sod who lives next door still mows his lawn every Sunday at seven.
Tariro missed the bus by ten seconds; the poor sod had to wait an hour in the rain.
Adina felt sorry for the poor sod who had to clean up the mess after the party.
文法句型
[adjective] + sod
用法筆記
This sense is milder than sense 1 — it often expresses sympathy or mild envy rather than anger. Must be used with a preceding adjective (poor sod, lucky sod, old sod, silly sod). Not used for serious offence, but still informal.
常見錯誤
3. A piece of turf cut from the ground in a neat rectangular shape, used in gardeni
A piece of turf cut from the ground in a neat rectangular shape, used in gardening to create or repair a grassy area.
The gardener carried a roll of sod across the lawn and laid it in the bare patch.
Sofia ordered fifty square metres of fresh sod to create a new lawn in her backyard.
countable: a roll of sod / a piece of sod
In the park, workmen replaced the damaged grass with neat strips of new green sod.
Ari knelt in the garden and pressed each piece of sod firmly into the soil below.
After heavy rain, a large section of sod slid down the slope toward the road.
用法筆記
More commonly called 'turf' in British English. 'Sod' in this sense is also used in American and Australian English for landscaping. Often uncountable ('a bed of sod') or countable ('lay two sods here').
4. The natural surface layer of earth that covers the ground, especially when it is
The natural surface layer of earth that covers the ground, especially when it is covered with grass.
Hao knelt on the damp sod and pressed the seeds into the dark soil beneath.
natural ground surface (not a cut piece)
The children sat on the grassy sod at the edge of the meadow, watching butterflies.
Under the thick sod of the pasture, the earth stayed cool and moist all summer.
After the storm, the sod in the garden felt soft and muddy under Keiko's boots.
用法筆記
Unlike sense 3 — which refers to a cut piece of turf used in gardening — this sense describes the natural ground surface, the earth you walk on or dig into. Common in descriptive or literary writing about the countryside.
sod — exclamation
1. Used as a mild swear word to express anger, annoyance, or frustration about some
Used as a mild swear word to express anger, annoyance, or frustration about something, similar to 'damn' but less offensive in British English.
Sod it! Anjali just realised she left her phone on the train again.
exclamation: Sod it! (frustration about a situation)
Sod that for an idea — Owen would rather walk than take the broken bus.
exclamation: Sod that! (rejecting an idea)
Adina looked at the long queue and muttered, sod this, and turned around to leave.
Sod this rain — Soraya decided to forget the picnic and go to the cinema instead.
文法句型
Sod it!
Sod that!
Sod this for a game of soldiers.
用法筆記
Considered a mild swear word in British English. Less offensive than stronger alternatives but still inappropriate in formal or professional settings. 'Sod it' expresses annoyance at a situation; 'sod that' rejects a suggestion or idea.
常見錯誤
sod — verb
- sodpresent simple I / you / we / they
- sods3rd person singular
- sodding-ing form
- soddedpast simple
1. To cover an area of bare ground with pieces of turf or sod to create or repair a
To cover an area of bare ground with pieces of turf or sod to create or repair a grass surface.
The gardener sods the entire backyard every spring to keep the lawn looking fresh.
The new football pitch was sodded last month, so the grass is still settling.
passive: was sodded
Ari spent the weekend sodding the front garden after the builders dug up the old lawn.
The council has sodded the roundabout in the town centre with fresh green turf.
文法句型
sod + [area] (with + sod)
用法筆記
A specialist term used mainly by gardeners and landscapers. The passive construction ('was sodded') is common since the person doing the work is often not the subject of interest.