where did the term "sad state of affairs originate?

Answer 1

"Sad state of affairs" is an idiom that sometimes appears as "sad state" and "sorry state of affairs." It means "a deplorable situation that you find upsetting" or "a situation to be regretted."

The earliest written reference to "sad state of affairs" that I could find on the internet appears in "A Complete History of the Lives, Acts, and Martyrdoms of the Holy Apostles" by William Cave, Jeremy Taylor, Published 1810, Solomon Wiatt, page 488.

FYI: In chat lingo, ssof is short for "sad state of affairs."

On the other hand (I kept searching after I posted the above), the root phrase -- state of affairs, meaning a set of circumstances -- can be traced to the 15th century, according to Merriam-Webster.