what she tried so not to hide

[Nefertiti]

"Now, I don't recollect the time
I fell in love with this old friend of mine
Or when I first saw in her eyes
What she tried so not to hide"

[what one tried so not to V]

1.Is 'so' a conjunction = so that ?

2. Is 'what one tried so not to V' a common pattern? What does it mean?
Please give some examples.

Thanks

[svartnik]

Originally Posted by Nefertiti

"Now, I don't recollect the time
I fell in love with this old friend of mine
Or when I first saw in her eyes
What she tried so not to hide"

[what one tried so not to V]

1.Is 'so' a conjunction = so that ?

2. Is 'what one tried so not to V' a common pattern? What does it mean?
Please give some examples.

Thanks

Style got priority over plain grammar and smooth flow.

...what she tried so much to be readily recognized.