soft soapn.
/ˌsɒf(t) ˈsəʊp/, U.S. /ˈsɔf(t) ˌsoʊp/, /ˈsɑf(t) ˌsoʊp/ 1. Soap that is liquid or semi-liquid and dissolves readily, usually made from the potassium salts of fatty acids.Hard soap is usually made from the sodium salts of fatty acids; see hard soap n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing agents > [noun] > soap > form of soap
soft soap?a1425
washing-ball1538
ball1575
tablet1582
musk ball1589
liquid soap1600
soap-ball1601
wash-ball1601
savonette1702
brick soap1753
bar-soap1824
bar1834
sand-ball1846
soap powder1865
leaf1882
soap leaf1909
soap flakes1926
shower gel1970
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 152 (MED) After be it anoynted wiþ..oile rose & acete and softe sope [L. sapone molli].
?a1450 J. Arderne in 17th Internat. Congr. Med. (1914) xxiii. 120 (MED) Putte therone a ruptorye..of qwyklyme & soft sope.
1634 in R. Sanderson Rymer's Fœdera (1732) XIX. 567/1 That no soft Soap be sold..for above three pence the pound.
1641 Short Relation Soap-busines 4 To make hard soape with Berilla, and soft soap without the use of fire.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Soap The Soft Soap..is either White or Green.
1753 W. Lewis New Dispensatory 200/1 The soft soaps are more penetrating and acrimonious than the hard.
1812 H. Davy Elements Chem. Philos. 331 Potassa enters into the composition of soft soap.
1857 W. A. Miller Elements Chem. III. vi. §2. 371 The base..of the soft soaps is potash.
1922 J. J. Sudborough Bernthsen's Text-bk. Org. Chem. (new ed.) vi. 164 Soft soaps contain potassium salts, principally oleate.
2006 Lush Times Spring 20/2 Buttercreams are essentially very posh soft soaps.
2. colloquial (originally U.S.). Persuasive flattery or cajoling; (also) unduly careful or deferential treatment.In early use typically as part of an extended metaphor of sense 1.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > flattery or flattering > [noun]
fickling?c1225
flattering?c1225
oluhningc1225
glozec1290
glozing1297
losengery1303
blandishingc1305
blandingc1315
flatteryc1320
glotheringc1325
soothinga1400
honey word?1406
faginga1425
flatrisec1440
smekingc1440
blandishc1475
blandiment?1510
glavering1545
coggingc1555
good1563
milksop1577
court holy water1583
glavery1583
blandishment1591
lipsalve1591
court holy bread1592
flatter1593
colloguing1596
sooth1597
daub?1602
blandation1605
lullaby1611
court-water1616
butter1618
blandiloquy1623
oil1645
court-element1649
courtshipment1649
courtship1655
blandiloquence1656
court-creama1657
daubing1656
fleecha1700
Spanish money1699
cajole1719
whiting1721
palaver1733
butter boat1747
flummery1749
treacle1771
Spanish coin1785
blancmange1790
blarney1796
soft corn1814
whillywha1816
carney1818
buttering up1819
soft soap1821
flam1825
slaver1825
soft solder1836
soothing syrup1839
soft-soaping1840
plámás1853
sawder1854
soap1854
salve1859
taffy1878
plámásing1897
flannel1927
smarm1937
flannelling1945
sweet talk1945
schmear1950
smarming1950
1821 Military Reg. 14 Mar. 318 I'm little given to compliments I own, They're but the bubbles of our riper days, Which by the breath of flattery are blown From soft-soap froth, to pass for honest praise.
1830 Reg. Deb. Congr. U.S. 12 Apr. 774 I will not use the vulgar phrase, and say he has been pouring soft soap down the backs of the New York delegation.
1840 W. G. Simms Border Beagles I. i. 22 Tush, young man, soft soap don't tickle me at my time of life.
1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. II. xvii. 313 He and I are great chums, and a little soft soap will go a long way with him.
1900 B. Delannoy ‘£19,000’ xxxix. 296 ‘You're the most sensible woman I've ever met.’ ‘None of your soft-soap now!’
1958 R. Silverberg Invaders from Earth v. 44 ‘Soft-soap won't answer my questions, Alf.’ ‘This isn't soft-soap. It's fact, plain hard fact.’
2003 T. Litt Finding Myself 332 Don't come the soft soap with me.
Compounds
C1. General attributive (in sense 1), e.g. soft-soap manufacturer.
ΚΠ
1753 W. Lewis New Dispensatory 280/2 A pint of the common leys of our soft soap makers weighs more than sixteen ounces.
1794 Morning Chron. 12 Nov. (advt.) Messrs. Neave and Aislabie, Merchants and Soft Soap Manufacturers.
1892 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 18 444/1 The soft soap treatment is effective but must be carefully supervised.
1908 W. H. Simmons & H. A. Appleton Handbk. Soap Manuf. 53 The Soft Soap Manufacturers' Convention of Holland stipulate that the materials used in soft-soap making must not contain more than 5 per cent. rosin.
1991 Garden Apr. 169/1 Good old-fashioned home-made quassia and soft soap mixtures are not Ministry Approved.
C2. attributive (in sense 2) with the sense ‘characterized by the use of persuasive flattery or cajoling’.Cf. also quot. 1821 at sense 2.
ΚΠ
1835 Times 18 Aug. 5/3 Compare the ‘Prosperity Budget’ with the ‘Soft-soap Budget’.
1934 Sun (Baltimore) 6 Nov. 2/2 Assailing Governor Lehman for his ‘soft soap’ manner of campaign, the park commissioner..renewed his assault on the Lehman banking family.
1961 Radio Times 6 Apr. 21/2 ‘Nobody likes to watch a soft-soap interview. People want the facts and they can take them,’ says Robin Day.
1989 Under Five Nov. 85/2 When the same thing happened a third time, I gave up on the soft soap approach and dealt her a very swift, sharp smack across her legs.
2006 M. Daheim Alpine Recluse ii. 26 Maybe she could use her coaxing soft-soap manner.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.?a1425