▪ I. sawder, n. colloq.
(ˈsɔːdə(r))
[App. a use of sawder solder n.]
In full soft sawder: flattery, blarney.
| 1836 Haliburton Clockm. Ser. i. x. 78 If she goes to act ugly, I'll give her a dose of ‘soft sawder’. 1846 Shaftesbury in Life xiv. (1887) 342 Soft sawder to the mill-owners (unless it is skilfully applied) is a damper to the men. 1854 E. FitzGerald Lett. (1889) I. 232 He..by dint of good dinners and soft sawder finally draws the country gentry to him. 1854 D. G. Rossetti Let. 11 May (1965) I. 193 MacCrac..offers {pstlg}50 for the water-colour, with all manner of soap and sawder into the bargain. 1880 ‘C. E. Craddock’ in Atlantic Monthly Jan. 103/2 That ain't the right sort o' sawder fur a candidate. 1886 ‘Sarah Tytler’ Buried Diamonds v, Till he had done listening to the ‘soft sawder’ of Crabtree the banker's..wife. |
▪ II. sawder, v. colloq.
(ˈsɔːdə(r))
[f. sawder n.]
trans. To flatter, to ‘butter’. Also absol. and as soft-sawder v.
| 1834 S. Lover Leg. & Stories of Irel. Ser. ii. 297 His vagabone mother sawdhered him up afther a manner. 1843 Haliburton Attaché ii. 46, I don't like to be left alone with a gall, it's plaguy apt to set me a soft sawderin' and a courtin'. 1853 Hickie tr. Aristoph. (1887) I. 26 As often as any one soft-sawdered you. 1863 R. F. Burton Wand. W. Africa II. 287 Now ‘ryling up’ the agent, then sawdering him down. 1883 Manch. Exam. 26 Nov. 5 When the Irish electors were to be soft-sawdered. |
Hence ˈsawderer, in quot. soft-sawderer.
| 1851 Blackw. Mag. Dec. 714 The highest law officer of the State..condescending to enact the part of a ‘soft-sawderer’. |
▪ III. sawder, -dre
obs. forms of solder.