alphabet soup
noun /ˌælfəbet ˈsuːp/
/ˌælfəbet ˈsuːp/
[uncountable]- (informal) a confusing mixture of things, especially language that contains many symbols or abbreviations
- an alphabet soup of government agencies (= because their names consist of complicated abbreviations)
- Special education is an alphabet soup of legal requirements.
- soup that contains pasta in the shape of lettersTopics Foodc2
Word Originearly 20th cent.: alluding to a kind of clear soup containing pasta in the shapes of letters.