TC

My Canadian/Brit friends use the word "suss" - as to suss something out, meaning to explore it or gather information about a subject. When asked where the word originated, none could answer. Fodorites?

Gardyloo

From Word-detective.com:

"The origin of "suss" turns out to be remarkably straightforward. "Suss" is simply an abbreviation of the verb "to suspect." When "suss" first appeared as underworld and police slang in the U.K. around 1953, it meant "to suspect a person of a crime." By the late 1950s, the meaning had broadened to include "to imagine or surmise," as a worker might "suss" that he would be fired if he missed work too often. From there, the current meaning of "figure out" was a logical extension of the phrase."

TC

Thanks, Gardyloo. I knew I could count on Fodorites for help - I just didn't "suss" it would come so quickly. You're the best - and thanks for the tip on word-detective.com. As an avid crossword puzzler, I'll use that site frequently.

Turtle1

It is a variation of "sus" which is slang for "suspect" or "suspicious". There is also a connection b/t "sus out" & the French word "reconnoitre": to make reconnaissance of the enemy's region to ascertain strategy as in "Today the US will suss out Iraq."

Craig

I did a "Google" search and came up with the same thing--remarkable what you can find. Here's the link:

http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache...hl=en&ie=UTF-8

LLindaC

In Ky it means something entirely different.
Waitress: Who ordered these here grits?
SUSS!