Tudor & Stuart · insult · noun
Saucebox
SAWSS-boks /ˈsɔːsˌbɒks/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recorded1588
A saucy, cheeky, impudent person, someone always ready with a pert remark. Later slang also used it for the mouth.
Where it was first recorded
Dated by Merriam-Webster (1588) and Etymonline (1580s, as 'sawcebox'), which do not name the work.
Also spelled: sauce-box, sawcebox
In its own time
You are too perstreperous, sauce-box.
Today
Modern exampleMy niece, the little saucebox, told me my jumper looked like a tea cosy.
Fine to use, usually fondly, for a cheeky child or a quick-tongued friend.
Questions
What does saucebox mean?
A saucy, cheeky, impudent person, someone always ready with a pert remark. Later slang also used it for the mouth.
When was saucebox first used?
It is first recorded 1588.
Can you still use saucebox today?
Fine to use, usually fondly, for a cheeky child or a quick-tongued friend.
Sources
- saucebox — Online Etymology Dictionary
- saucebox — Merriam-Webster
- saucebox — Dictionary.com (Random House Unabridged / Collins)
- Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 ed.) — Francis Grose (Project Gutenberg #5402)
- The Dramatic Works of John Ford, vol. 1 — archive.org
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above