Meaning of sais | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A groom, or servant with responsibility for the horses.
   India
2. Someone from England; Englander
   Wales, informal
3. A city in ancient Egypt.
4. usually syce: chauffeur, driver.
   dated

Equivalents

Examples

“Not one of them [horse dealers] will venture a horse, he is about to sell⟳, in the stables of the intended purchaser, unless attended by one of his own⟳ syces, or grooms, who both knows and is known by the animal. If the horse be very old, or naturally dull, the syce takes care to ply him with spices and other stimulants; and if vicious, opium, and other anodynes are given; so that the horse is absolutely in a state of disguise.”

“4th Troop 1st Brigade—3 rank and file⟳, 1 syce, 17 horses, killed; […]”

“Then all trace of him was lost, until a sais met me on Simla Mall with this extraordinary note⟳:— […]”

“THE DUTIES OF THE SAIS OR GROOM. […] Now, if the good house-mother's proudest boast is that not even "the cattle within her gate" fail⟳ to feel⟳ her kindly care, she will often find⟳ it necessary to take⟳ an active part in teaching the sais his duty, and seeing that the horses receive⟳ proper attention. […] The old plan⟳ of a sais and a grass-cutter to each horse is a thing of the past, and the number⟳ of saises or grooms should have⟳ reference merely to the amount of harnessing and out-work necessary during the day.”

“But apart from the story of the havildar, my own⟳ syce, a hillman who attends my pony, has actually seen two ghosts, with one of whom he held a long conversation.”

“Dinner, dinner, dinner … but when he returned to the house for it, Mahmoud Ali had drifted away in his turn⟳, to speak⟳ to his sais.”

“The horse also, as if it had its own⟳ premonitions, refused to get⟳ on to those rickety planks, though the rest⟳ of the party had negotiated them safely. The sais (horse attendant), who had no such anxieties, crossed ahead of us and struggled for some minutes to drag⟳ the poor frightened animal, with myself on its back, across the chasm.”

“What is this wonderful job you have⟳, to throw⟳ away your education for? Instructor is it? You're a syce in a stableyard! Is this all you care for all that I've done for you?”

“We have⟳ not been able to get⟳ a good syce for our animal, and have⟳ had to make⟳ do with a young and inexperienced fellow.”

“Each pony had his sais, his groom, who lived and ate and slept with the animal, and had betted a good deal⟳ more than he could afford⟳ on the result⟳ of the game. There was no chance of anything going wrong, but to make⟳ sure, each sais was shampooing the legs of his pony to the last⟳ minute. Behind the saises sat as many of the Skidars' regiment as had leave⟳ to attend⟳ the match⟳ […]”

“House servants are usually either Chinese or Tamil, the former predominating, especially in towns of any size. The domestic staff will in general consist⟳ of a houseboy (in large establishments two houseboys), a water carrier (tukang ayer), whose duties include⟳ washing dishes and preparing baths, a cook⟳, a gardener, a chauffeur or sais, and perhaps an ayah (if Chinese, amah) or two, according to the size of the family.”

“[A]fter their first few days there he had hired a syce, a Malay chauffeur. The syce, who had been squatting down, sheltering in the shade of the car, jumped to his feet at their approach⟳, opening the doors for them with an efficient flourish.”

“Each establishment had a retinue of Chinese or Malay servants, on average consisting of a cook⟳, one or two "house boys," a tukang kebun (gardener), a sais (chauffeur), and an ayah or amah (maid or nurse) to take⟳ care of ironing […]”

“The lady – a very elegant Romanian by birth – arrived with her daughter Miriam, the English governess, the secretary, a detective, and last⟳ of all the syce, or chauffeur, who seated himself in the garden rather than wait⟳ in the large Rolls-Royce parked outside, with the family crest placed above the number⟳ plate.”

“[T]he expansion of the service economy, for the home, the office and the municipality, had created a more mixed labouring world. A wealthy European or Asian home would bring⟳ together a Chinese amah, or maid, a Malay syce, or chauffeur, and an Indian kebun, or gardener, operating through a Malay lingua franca. On a larger scale, in the invisible city, ethnic communities were pushed closer together, often for the first time.”

CEFR level