sop

Everyday

1. A sop is something small given to someone to calm them down or keep them quiet, without really fixing the problem: a sop to the angry fans. tree →
2. (old) A sop is a piece of bread soaked in milk, soup or gravy. tree →
3. (rare verb) To sop up is to soak up liquid with bread or a cloth. tree →

In the lessons

Mostly used in news and adult talk: «a sop to voters» means a small gift meant to please them. The related word «sopping wet» means soaking wet (very common in the UK and Ireland). Phrases: «a sop to», «sop up the gravy», «sopping wet».

Examples

• The free badge was just a sop to the angry customers. tree →
• He sopped up the gravy with his bread. tree →
• I came home from the rain sopping wet. tree →
• The small pay rise was a sop to the workers. tree →
• In the old story, the boy fed sops of bread to the dog. tree →
• The extra playtime was a sop to stop us complaining. tree →

Note

Spelling: sop, sopped, sopping (double p). Do not confuse with «soap», «sob» or «stop». Also an abbreviation SOP (standard operating procedure, the usual set of steps at work).