A colleague and I have been scouring dictionaries, word books (including Word.A.Day!) and the Internet for the word "saufet". We believe it to have been "anglicized" to "soffit" which is a theatrical architectural term. The word saufet seems to have French (soffit) origins yet appears (online) in many Germanic phrases. We do know that it refers to alcove-like areas in a theater stage used to hide lighting and cords. Can anybody out there help? Is this one of those old fashioned words that is no longer used in the English language? Thank you!

Soffit is still an architectural term. The A-H dictionary gives its etymology here; it is related to the word suffix. Saufet, on the other hand, is German and means either (1) the 2nd person familiar present subjunctive of saufen 'to booze, guzzle, swig', or (2) the 2nd person familiar imperative.

OED has soffit, which it says is from the Italian soffitta, and defines it as the under horizontal face of an architrave or overhanging cornice; the under surface of a lintel, vault, or arch; a ceiling. It also mentions French soffite as a possible source.

Edit: Pipped by Nuncle Z.

Thank you, zmjezhd - This makes sense with much of what I found online and in German dialogue. The meaning you post makes sense with the phrases I translated from German. Interesting.

Thank you, Falage - This confirms much of what I've already discovered. Appreciate the quick feed back!

[quote=The Rose]I mean, Faldage -