suck

Etymology

From Middle English souken, suken, from Old English sūcan (“to suck”), from Proto-West Germanic *sūkan, from Proto-Germanic *sūkaną (“to suck, suckle”), from Proto-Indo-European *sewg-, *sewk- (“to suck”). Cognate with Scots souke (“to suck”), obsolete Dutch zuiken (“to suck”), Limburgish zuken, zoeken (“to suck”). Akin also to Old English sūgan (“to suck”), West Frisian sûge, sûge (“to suck”), Dutch zuigen (“to suck”), German saugen (“to suck”), Swedish suga (“to suck”), Icelandic sjúga (“to suck”), Latin sugō (“suck”), Welsh sugno (“suck”). Related to soak.

noun

1. An instance of drawing something into one's mouth by inhaling.
   Bammer agreed “Probably a good idea,” he agreed with a quick suck on his straw, “won't stop you from picking up any of these chicks, though.” 2001, D. Martin Doney, Prayer Capsule: A Book of Honesty, page 261
2. (uncountable) Milk drawn from the breast.
   The infant took suck in an instant, pulling strongly. 2010, Barbara Tieken, Bull Vaulter: Alena of the Isle of Green, page 202
3. An indrawing of gas or liquid caused by suction.
   On a proper workbench this can often be achieved between the end vice and a dog, though more sophisticated products use either the suck of a vacuum cleaner or just friction. 2005, Nick Gibbs, Ultimate Woodworking Course, page 136
4. (uncountable) The ability to suck; suction.
   Vacuum for the park Mosuc is a street and park vacuum cleaner which its designers, Hollowell Engineering, Dearborn, Michigan, like to claim has more suck than most[.] 1972, Design, numbers 277-282, page 68
   [D]rop the head for less suck or raise it for more. A plow should not have too much suck or it will run on its nose in hard land and put unnecessary weight. 2017, Oliver B. Zimmerman, Internal Combustion Engines and Tractors, page 153
5. A part of a river towards which strong currents converge making navigation difficult.
   Marvelous stories were told of "the suck" in early times. It was said that the water was so compressed that it would bear an ax. 1879, Edward Deering Mansfield, Personal Memories, Social, Political, and Literary, page 302
6. (Canada) A weak, self-pitying person; a person who refuses to go along with others, especially out of spite; a crybaby or sore loser.
   “Why're you bothering to take her anywhere? I can't stand traveling with her. You're such a suck,” her sister said. Waved her smoke. “No fucking way I'm going.” 1999, Hiromi Goto, “Drift”, in Ms., volume 9, number 3, pages 82–6
   I used to think she was such a suck! She'd cry when I took to the ice, whether I skated well or badly. She'd cry when I left the house. 2008, Beth Hitchcock, “Parenting Pair”, in Today's Parent, volume 25, number 5, page 64
7. A sycophant, especially a child.
   You are McGlade's suck. 1916, James Joyce, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Macmillan Press, page 23
8. (slang, dated) A short drink, especially a dram of spirits.
9. (vulgar) An act of fellatio.
   Nate exhaled a long, slow breath. What the hell was he thinking? He couldn't cruise the steam room looking for married men looking for a quick suck. He needed to shoot his load, but was he really that desperate? 2012, Alex Carreras, Cruising with Destiny, page 12
10. (slang, uncountable, sometimes considered vulgar) Badness or mediocrity.
    You don't have to call me on for everything, ok? I'm aware of my suck. 2019, Justin Blackburn, The Bisexual Christian Suburban Failure Enlightening Bipolar Blues, page 34

verb

1. (transitive) To use the mouth and lips to pull in (a liquid, especially milk from the breast).
2. (intransitive) To perform such an action; to feed from a breast or teat.
3. (transitive) To put the mouth or lips to (a breast, a mother etc.) to draw in milk.
4. (transitive) To extract, draw in (a substance) from or out of something.
   That she may sucke their life, and drinke their blood, With which she from her childhood had bene fed. 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, IV.i
5. (transitive, archaic) To inhale (air), to draw (breath).
6. (transitive) To work the lips and tongue on (an object) to extract moisture or nourishment; to absorb (something) in the mouth.
7. (transitive) To pull (something) in a given direction, especially without direct contact.
8. (transitive, slang, vulgar) To perform fellatio.
   1970-1975, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure the way he arched his back and spread his legs when he wanted me to suck him.
9. (chiefly Canada, US, intransitive, stative, colloquial, sometimes considered vulgar) To be inferior or objectionable: a general term of disparagement, sometimes used with at to indicate a particular area of deficiency.
   Schumacher recalls Bucher had also written 'Communism sucks' on the underside of his table 1969-11-02, Sid Moody, Jules Loh, Richard Meyer, “The USS Pueblo: 22: Panmunjom: General Pak Had One Last Trump”, in Charlotte Observer, page H-25
   it has a few very high points . . . but as a novel, it sucks 1970-01-08, Hunter S. Thompson, “[letter to Steve Geller]”, in Fear and Loathing in America, New York: Simon & Schuster, published 2000, page 251
   Garfield: Well, another year is almost under the belt And I've had 313 pretty good days The Mondays sucked. Dec 31 1990, Jim Davis, Garfield Takes Up Space (Garfield) (comic)