Literary notes about sassy (AI summary)
The term "sassy" appears in literature as a multifaceted descriptor that connotes boldness, lively spirit, and defiant charm. Writers employ it to capture characters who are both irreverent and spirited—ranging from mischievous youths with a cheeky attitude ([1], [2], [3]) to adults whose impertinence challenges social norms and authority ([4], [5]). In some works, it conveys playful insolence even in everyday behavior or physical objects, such as a boat’s vibrant energy ([6], [7]), while in others it articulates a dangerous or socially destabilizing assertiveness that may border on insolence or disrespect ([8], [9]). The versatility of "sassy" allows authors to evoke affection, humor, or criticism depending on context, reflecting both its colloquial origins and its enduring literary appeal ([10], [11]).
- Didn't I see you with my own eyes?" "No," says Sassy, "you didn't.
— from The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;containing a collection of over one thousand of the mostlaughable sayings and jokes of celebrated wits andhumorists. by Various - “You are a sassy little boy,” said she, “and if your sister is as sassy as her brother, I pity the man that's goin' to marry her.”
— from The Debtor: A Novel by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman - “You better go to bed if you want to grow up to be a big, sassy girl some day,” he advised Dulcie.
— from The Moonlit Way: A Novel by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers - “Hold your tongue, John Benton, you sassy boy.
— from Jessica, the Heiress by Evelyn Raymond - "Now, don't get sassy," warned the man, growing angry.
— from He Comes Up Smiling by Charles Sherman - We can get a car; what I want is a speedy, sassy little boat that can travel .
— from Starr, of the Desert by B. M. Bower - I sipped a California white wine that was far too young and sassy, and let her bask for nearly an hour.
— from Violists by Richard McGowan - If he fails to give a suitable answer, or seems too independent or "sassy," he may be arrested or summarily driven away.
— from The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois - “Why, you horrid, hateful, sassy——” “Abandoned, impertinent young man!” interrupted Raymond.
— from The Gypsy Queen's Vow by May Agnes Fleming - I don't know how 'twould have ended if Peter T. Brown, cool and sassy as ever, hadn't come on deck just then and took command.
— from Cape Cod Stories by Joseph Crosby Lincoln - Sassburger and he had met two days before, so they were calling each other “Georgie” and “Sassy.”
— from Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
