A sop is a bribe, gift, or gesture intended to appease or conciliate someone.
A conciliatory or propitiatory bribe, gift, or gesture.
| Front | sop \SAHP\ |
|---|---|
| Back | noun A conciliatory or propitiatory bribe, gift, or gesture. [The etymology of "sop" takes us from bread to hellhounds to bribery. The journey starts over 900 years ago, when "sop" first referred to bread soaked in water, wine, or another liquid. Such soggy bread was considered a treat sure to tempt any appetite. Sops were considered so appealing that English translations of Virgil's Aeneid tell of a sibyl using one soaked in honey to distract and drug Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog of the gates of the underworld, so Aeneas could get by him safely. By the 1600s, that mythological use of "sop" had given rise to the expression "give a sop to Cerberus," meaning "to bribe" and to using "sop" to refer to a bribe or conciliatory gift.] "The contractor offered higher priced bathroom fixtures at no extra cost as a sop to the homeowner, who was threatening to cancel the contract." |
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Bumbershoot bum-ber-shoot noun umbrella plenty nicknames britain brolly
Previous card: Malefaction mal-uh-fak-shuhn noun evil deed crime wrongdoing
Up to card list: Hard English Vocabulary