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Green’s Dictionary of Slang

sourpuss n.

[puss n.² (2)]

(orig. US)

1. a sour-faced person, a grumbler, a killjoy; thus as nickname.

1935		Dly News (NY) 5 Oct. 167/1: Then, where would he be? Working for old Sourpuss Crane.
1937		P. Cheyney Dames Don’t Care (1960) 69: OK sour puss [...] but I wouldn’t be above framin’ you for something or other.
1940		R. Chandler Farewell, My Lovely (1949) 18: A man named Nulty got the case, a lean-jawed sourpuss with long yellow hands.
1951		M. Spillane One Lonely Night 112: The sour pusses were General Osilov and his interpreter.
1969		P. Boyle All Looks Yellow to the Jaundiced Eye 28: Cheer up, sour puss. I’m not the hangman.
1978		R. Caron Go-Boy! 296: C’mon, sourpuss, smile!
1987		W.T. Vollmann You Bright and Risen Angels (1988) 78: Mr. White would call us cornballs and darned old sourpusses.
1994		F. Mac Anna Ship Inspector 110: You always get a few sourpusses.
2000		Indep. Rev. 7 June 7: That’s what we old sourpusses wish on the young.

2. a grumpy expression.

1939		H. Miller Tropic of Capricorn (1964) 143: Ever since the day I went to him with a dose of clap he [...] always showed a sour puss when I stuck my head through the door.
1973		F. LaBarba in Heller In This Corner (1974) 99: And a sour puss came over my face [...] because I knew Frankie Gradetta very well.
1997		C. McPherson The Weir 72: Him and Jimmy be sitting there at the bar with big sour pusses on them.

In derivatives

sourpussed (adj.) (also sourpuss)(orig. US)

1. mean, puritanical.

1938		Life 20 June 9: The Ford article [...] should be sweet medicine for some of those sour-pussed politicians of our administration.
1941		Rotarian Aug. 20: The censure or penalty for foolish riding comes from the violator's own kind, not from ‘sour-pussed’ adults who are always ‘bellyaching’ about being careful.
1943		R.L. Bellem ‘Phoney Shakedown’ Dan Turner - Hollywood Detective Feb. 🌐 Why should she go for Dan, the sour-puss Turner?
1954		Picture Post 13 Nov. 51: He knows he is best when singing fortissimo [...] It’s a glorious noise. The perfect record for infuriating sour-puss neighbours.
1967		Y. Yevtushenko in Life 17 Feb. 33: I would crush my glass of flat champagne and shout to the sourpussed mob: I am dying, you bore me so.
2005		G. van Wagner Jersey Sure 91: Sourpussed teachers, with little everyday love for anything other than neat notebooks and ass-kissing students.

2. sour-featured.

1955		E. Hoagland Cat Man 250: [S]ourpuss short toughs in wide Palm Beach suits who bossed something or other that started late and [...] owned exclusive rights to at least one of the girls.
1967		F. Salas Tattoo the Wicked Cross (1981) 139: Come on, man, get that sourpuss look off your pale face.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 208: If only she could get her hands on enough of those sourpussed dead presidents.
2004		K. Wright Best of Both Worlds 141: I figured I was just about to learn what was making Helen look so sourpussed.