soft soap
Oily, persuasive talk
Soft soap is flattery or smooth talk used to persuade or manipulate someone: Don't try to soft soap me—I know what you're after.
The term comes from the literal soft soap, a semi-liquid soap made with potassium hydroxide rather than the sodium hydroxide that produces hard bar soap.
The verb means to flatter insincerely or coax with charm.
Persuade through flattery
- wheedlePersuade through flattery
- flatterPraise to please
- butter upFlatter insincerely for advantage
- sweet-talkFlatter to persuade
blandishment · compliment · fawning · ingratiation · schmooze · charm · blarney · overpraise
Foamy soap bubbles
- sudsSoapy froth
- washClean using liquid
- cleanseRemove dirt or sin
- moisturizingAdding water to skin
Persuade by gentle urging
- convinceCause to believe
- influencePower to affect others
- swayRock back and forth
- manipulateControl through clever influence
induce · entice · beguile · win over · disarm · prevail upon · talk around · bring around
cajole
Persuade through flattery
sweet-talk · blandishment · compliment · fawning · ingratiation · schmooze · charm · blarney · overpraise · smarm
lather
Foamy soap bubbles
moisturizing · toiletry · emollient · unscented · dispenser
coax
Persuade by gentle urging
manipulate · induce · entice · beguile · win over · disarm · prevail upon · talk around · bring around · work on
- shaving soaps
- flatteryflatter, praise, flattery, compliment, compliments
- praiselauding, compliments, laudation, accolades, great job
- old-time cleanerslye, borax, vinegar, washing soda, fuller's earth
- sycophancyfawning, toadying, groveling, kowtowing, brown-nosing
soft soapharsh words
straight talk · brutal honesty · hard truths · tough talk · tongue-lashing
soft soapharsh criticism
Severe negative judgment
blunt talk · rough treatment · hard words · tongue-lashing · dressing-down
soap, soften, softness, softened, softening, soapy, soaped, softener, soaping