Etymology From Middle English sop, soppe, sope, from Old English sopa (“sopped bread”), from Proto-Germanic *supô (compare Dutch sop, Old High German sopfa), deverbative of *sūpaną (“to sup”). Doublet of soup; more at sup.
The bounded Waters, / Should lift their boſomes higher then the Shores, / And make a ſoppe of all this ſolid Globe:c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], column 1:
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A piece of solid food to be soaked in liquid food.
[…]Hee it is to whom I ſhall giue a ſoppe, when I haue dipped it.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 13:26, column 1:
[…]Sops in Wine, (Quantitie for Quantitie,) inebriate more, than Wine of it ſelfe.1631, Francis [Bacon], “VIII. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC, paragraph 726, page 182:
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Abbreviation, Ellipsis, Figuratively Ellipsis of sop to Cerberus, something given or done to pacify or bribe.
Ill Nature, in fine, is not to be Cur’d with a Sop; but on the contrary, Quarrelſome Men, as well as Quarrelſome Currs are worſe for fair Uſage.1692, Roger L’Estrange, “[The Fables of Æsop, &c.] Fab[le] LXXXVIII. A Man Bit by a Dog.”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC, page 85:
The suggested petrification of the ship is a sop to gratify Poseidon and compensate him for a concession--the Phaeacians will not be cut off from the sea.1996, Bernard Knox, Introduction to Robert Fagles's translation of The Odyssey
2 more examples
That agreement, with its lofty promises of “one country, two systems,” was a fig leaf, as most knew at the time — a sop to Western consciences guilty for condemning the people of Hong Kong to their ultimate fate as wards of Beijing. What is happening today is exactly what was predicted and exactly what Chinese leaders intended. Our outrage, while appropriate, is also embarrassing.2020, Robert Kagan, “China’s dangerous Taiwan temptation”, in Washington Post:
Conservatives have long had it out for Gay, Harvard’s first Black president, whose appointment they viewed as a sop to progressive diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.2024 January 2, David A. Graham, “An Old-Fashioned Scandal Fells a New Harvard President”, in The Atlantic:
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Abbreviation, Derogatory, Ellipsis Ellipsis of milksop, a weak, easily frightened or ineffectual person.
Here, in Barcelona, your streets are alive at night, you walk, you eat for hours, you interact, you share your minds. Americans watch their 91 channels of superficial satellite sop. The whole country and everything you've ever believed about it really functions only on the surface.1988 August 20, Rex Wockner, “Nobody Can Do It Like The USA”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 6, page 5:
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A piece of turf placed in the road as a target for a throw in road bowling.
sop
verb
Etymology From Middle English sop, soppe, sope, from Old English sopa (“sopped bread”), from Proto-Germanic *supô (compare Dutch sop, Old High German sopfa), deverbative of *sūpaną (“to sup”). Doublet of soup; more at sup.
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To steep or dip in any liquid.
A messe of milke sopt with white bread.1687, John Aubrey, Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme, page 29:
When I die, don't bury me deep, / Put a jug of 'lasses at my feet, / And a piece of corn bread in my hand, / Gwine to sop my way to the promised land.1928, Newman Ivey White, American Negro Folk-Songs, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, page 227:
1 more example
So again let me say that sopping bread into gravy can be done properly merely by putting a piece down on the gravy and then soaking it with the help of a knife and fork as though it were any other food. But taking a soft piece of bread and pushing it under the sauce with your fingers, submerging them as well as the bread, or even wiping the plate with it would be very bad manners indeed.1945 December 27, Emily Post, “Sopping Bread May Be Done”, in The Spokesman-Review: