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soap
[ sohp ]
noun
- a substance used for washing and cleansing purposes, usually made by treating a fat with an alkali, as sodium or potassium hydroxide, and consisting chiefly of the sodium or potassium salts of the acids contained in the fat.
- any metallic salt of an acid derived from a fat.
- Slang. money, especially as used for bribery in politics.
- Slang. Also soap opera.
verb (used with object)
- to rub, cover, lather, or treat with soap.
soap
/ əʊ /
noun
- a cleaning or emulsifying agent made by reacting animal or vegetable fats or oils with potassium or sodium hydroxide. Soaps often contain colouring matter and perfume and act by emulsifying grease and lowering the surface tension of water, so that it more readily penetrates open materials such as textiles See also detergent saponaceous
- any metallic salt of a fatty acid, such as palmitic or stearic acid See also metallic soap
- slang.flattery or persuasive talk (esp in the phrase soft soap )
- informal.short for soap opera
- slang.money, esp for bribery
- no soap slang.not possible or successful
verb
- tr to apply soap to
- slang.troften foll byup
- to flatter or talk persuasively to
- to bribe
soap
- A substance used for washing or cleaning, consisting of a mixture of sodium or potassium salts of naturally occurring fatty acids. Like detergents, soaps work by surrounding particles of grease or dirt with their molecules, thereby allowing them to be carried away. Unlike detergents, soaps react with the minerals common in most water, forming an insoluble film that remains on fabrics. For this reason soap is not as efficient a cleaner as most detergents. The film is also what causes rings to form in bathtubs.
- Compare detergent
Derived Forms
- ˈDzˌ, adjective
- ˈDz, adjective
Other Word Forms
- Dzl adjective
- Dzl adjective
- v·Dz verb (used with object)
- ܲ·Dz adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of soap1
Idioms and Phrases
- no soap, Informal. no go:
He wanted me to vote for him, but I told him no soap.
More idioms and phrases containing soap
In addition to the idiom beginning with soap , also see no dice (soap) ; on one's soapbox ; soft soap .Example Sentences
Scotland's creative industries will suffer a "massive blow" unless the BBC reverses a decision to cancel soap opera River City, stars of the show have claimed.
The BBC One soap was praised for its work on nurturing upcoming directors from under-represented groups, and offering writing and acting opportunities on its spin-off show, E20, which ran for three series.
“Students were forbidden to speak their traditional languages at the schools and forced to learn English. Sometimes teachers would wash students’ mouths out with lye soap.”
While this event is often billed as a showpiece on par with cup finals, there is one big difference - tomorrow, WWE will continue on with the next chapter of its never-ending soap opera.
He also had a recurring role in “All That Glitters,” a groundbreaking soap opera parody created by Norman Lear.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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