[General] A mere sop

[Silverobama]

Hi,

What does this sentence mean?

The playground was a mere sop.


Thanks a lot.

 

[bhaisahab]

Hi,

What does this sentence mean?

The playground was a mere sop.


Thanks a lot.

Context is all important.

 

[Silverobama]

After the rain the playground is a mere sop.

 

[bhaisahab]

After the rain the playground is a mere sop.

Sorry, it still doesn't make sense.

 

[bhaisahab]

You could say "After the rain the playground is sopping wet".

 

[5jj]

You could say "After the rain the playground is sopping wet".

I couldn't. 'Sopping wet' has, for me, the idea of being wet through. Something hard like a playground can be flooded, but not sopping wet. This may be a personal thing.

 

[BobK]

:-?... A revised plan might contain something of which it could be said 'The playground is a mere sop' - in the sense of 'a [low-value] thing given away to ward off* a hostile reception'. But as we keep saying, context is essential.

(I've never heard the noun 'sop' in a sense that bears any relation to 'sopping'; the verb 'sop' is a different matter.)

b
PS Bad choice of words - see later post.

 

[suprunp]

'a [low-value] thing given away to distract a hostile reception'.

b

May I ask my small question here?

Are you using the verb "to distract" in the meaning "to avert; to prevent; to ward off"?
If this is so is it OK to use it instead of "avert" in such kind of sentences: "talks failed to distract a rail strike"?

Thanks.

 

[BobK]

No. Bad word choice. What I had in mind was the distraction of the attention of the protesters, but I'll fix it. (I don't think I'm alone in making this mistake, but it's sloppy. )

b