n. & adj. — slang, informal, derogatory
a contemptible person; one who whines and is self-pitying; a weakling; someone who cries easily.
Type: 3. Semantic Change — Suck is used in the US and the UK, and appears to have undergone semantic change in Canada.
OED-3 defines suck as "A sycophant; esp. a schoolboy who curries favour with teachers", with the earliest citation from London, 1900 (see OED-3, s.v. "suck" [n. 10]).
DARE includes suck and defines it as "A toady; a sycophant, esp a teacher's pet", giving the earliest US citation as 1943 (see DARE, s.v. "suck" [3]).
W-3 defines the term as "an obsequious person: TOADY" (see W-3, s.v. "suck" [5]).
OED-3 also has a Canadian definition of suck, described as "A worthless or contemptible person" (see OED-3, s.v. "suck" [12]), which is in keeping with the present definition. However, it appears that a new, nuanced significance of suck has emerged in Canada: quotations suggest that a suck also refers to someone who cries easily, although not necessarily with the negative, self-pitying connotation mentioned above. Instead, it may refer to a person who becomes emotional and cries easily as a response to a positive experience (see, e.g., the 2008 and 2012 quotations), and the person's emotionality may be endearing rather than contemptible, although it may still be considered a form of weakness.
See also COD-2, s.v. "suck" (noun-4), which is marked "Cdn".
- In Canada, suck with the meaning 'an obsequious person' is still found. Some uses of the term can also be understood as combining meanings, as in to denote an obsequious crybaby, or a sycophantic, emotional person.