sop

a sop to Cerberus

A bribe. Taken from the ancient Greek and Roman custom of leaving gifts with corpses so that Cerberus (guardian of the gates of hell) would pass them by. What is this money, a sop to Cerberus so that I won't tell the authorities what you've done? Of course we can get the city council to approve of our plan. All we need is a sop to Cerberus. You know, a sop to Cerberus might help me to remember a few details about the people you're asking about.

See also: sop, to

milksop

1. adjective Extremely weak, timid, or ineffectual. We're going to be the laughingstock of the world after such a milksop response from our government. We can't afford some milksop plan that just keeps the status quo—we need something drastic and daring that might really improve our sales. In the play, the hero returns to drive the milksop suitor from his home and reclaim his rightful place by his wife's side.

2. noun An extremely weak, timid, or ineffectual man. We need a president who's going to lead the nation with strength and resolve, not some milksop who'll just kowtow to every foreign leader who raises his voice. I swear, I don't know why I ever married a milksop like you. You can't even defend your own wife when she's been insulted!

sop up

To absorb some liquid through dipping, wiping, or drenching. A noun or pronoun can be used between "sop" and "up." As rainwater poured into the basement, we grabbed every towel and sheet we could find to sop it all up. I love using my toast to sop up the runny yolk from my fried eggs.

See also: sop, up

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

sop something up

to mop or soak up a liquid. Use this rag to sop the spilled milk up. The rag will sop up the mess a little at a time.

See also: sop, up

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

a sop to Cerberus

something offered to appease someone.

In Greek mythology, Cerberus was the three-headed watchdog which guarded the entrance of Hades. In the Aeneid Virgil describes how the Sibyl guiding Aeneas to the underworld threw a drugged cake to Cerberus, thus enabling the hero to pass the monster in safety.

See also: sop, to

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

sop up

v.

To take something up by absorption; absorb something: We sopped up the water with paper towels. I sopped the sauce up with a piece of bread.

See also: sop, up

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sop

1. n. a drunkard; an alcoholic. Give the old sop a buck and tell him to beat it.

2. tv. & in. to guzzle (liquor). You’ve sopped booze long enough. Go home.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.