How is 'the soch' short for 'social (security)' spelled?

[BrickBiscuit]

A current thread has confused people by referring to social security as 'soch', without further explanation. I am very familiar with hearing 'on the soshe' (as I might spell it phonetically), meaning receiving soc(ial security), but I can't remember ever seeing it written down. Also, I think the abbreviation always takes 'the' and is never just 'soshe'. How should it be spelled?

'Sock' is a good one for the university Pedantry Society etc - the Pedantry Soc or the Debating Soc for example - but I think these are written abbreviated as such as much as spoken. Society shortens to Soc, spelled thus and pronounced 'sock' (rather than 'soce'). But how do we spell Social shortened to Soc pronounced 'soshe'?

To be honest I've never even considered writing it until this thread. It's not something you write down although I suppose it might appear in dialogue in a novel. I've only heard it a few times in real life and I deal with people on benefits in my volunteer job.

The usage is very familiar to me. I would love to see it written somewhere as dialogue. Doesn't look like the dictionaries have ever picked it up - perhaps that thread will be the first!

In SE Hinton’s The Outsiders, the two rival gangs are the poor, longhaired Greasers and the rich, preppy Socs, pronounced ‘Soshes’, because it’s a nickname for ‘Socials’.

Which has never prevented readers who never thought about it pronouncing it in their heads as ‘Socks’.

Who remembers “the Nab?”

Acronym from National Assistance Bureau.

I’ve heard ‘soch’ many, many times for years. It’s very common. South East. I’ve never seen it written down though. But If somebody wrote, say, “she lives off the soch” I’d understand it immediately however it was (phonetically) spelt.

Same here. But did you see the other thread and understand that?

I haven’t seen the other thread. I guess it might sometimes be used in untypical ways. I can’t remember hearing it other than in the context of “the soch”, meaning state benefits.

I've never heard it abbreviated like that. I saw the thread with 'soch' on it. It took me a moment to work it out.

"we shouldn't have to contribute to soch if we don't intend to use it"

On the sausage. Sausage roll , dole

I have never referred to benefits/national insurance/unemployment/job centre/whatever as "the soch" but looking at the original post, within context, it was bloomin' obvious. (I agree that writing it in full - at least the first use, would have been helpful, aiding understanding, but not sure soshe etc would help that much)
There is a "faux naivety" about this place. If you understand it - why comment? move on, if you don't, then either it doesn't affect you, move on, or try.

I haven't heard of that one and I worked in the DHSS on Supplementary Benefits in the 70s. That was probably where I heard it referred to as the 'soche' or alternatively the SS 😬..

This is Pedants' Corner. We don't 'move on'.

That OP was very odd. I don’t even hear anything about ‘social security’ these days and had never heard ‘soch’ before. Makes a bit more sense if they meant ‘soshe’!

I don’t even know what social security is meant to be - is it the same as benefits?

Well, it’s not spelled like that! It’s more of a “sh” than a “ch” sound ‘round these parts. I think I’d go with “soc”, like socmed (social media). Context is everything.

Yes, but I was rhyming it with ‘Loch’ you see! No wonder I had no clue what the poster was on about.

Made me laugh

On the Sochage.

I've ever heard soche/soashe ever either. Round here 'the social' is social services.

On the Soc/society thing - I may write soc as an abbreviation, but if I read that out loud I'd say society. I feel like Sosh is like that, that you'd probably write social but say sosch if you read it out.

Getting to a point where it's obvious how to pronounce it - like maybe soashe? - you're in danger of the abbreviation being longer than the actual word!

Benefits of various types used to be administered by the Department of Health and Social Security.

I used to work on Supplementary Benefits which was for topping up income from child benefit (Family Allowance as it was then), small pensions or child maintenance etc. It was a non-contributory benefit i.e didn't depend on NI contributions (aka stamps). In the other half of the building were the Contributory Benefits like Unemployment Beneft (job seekers) which depended on NI contributions.

It was a Civil Service job. I dont know who runs it now

And you’d see ads for flats in newsagents’ windows with ‘No pets, no DHSS’ on them.

Unless they were 'Rent Direct' and claimants rent was paid directly to the landlord. Then the landlord knew they would definitely get the money and there would be no arrears.

I worked for 4 years with people receiving welfare benefits in London and I never heard the soch/sosh.

I was working with it in the 1970s in Bristol.