SOFT


Meaning of SOFT in English

adjective

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a faint/soft click (= not loud )

There was only a faint click from the gun's trigger mechanism.

a gentle/light/soft tap

There was a gentle tap on the door.

a gentle/soft/mild breeze

It was a beautiful day with a blue sky and a gentle breeze.

a hard/soft cover

I never buy books in hard cover – they’re much more expensive.

a hard/soft wood

Oak is a hard wood.

a loud/soft laugh

He let out a loud laugh when he heard what had happened.

a low/soft whisper

When he spoke, it was in a low whisper.

a soft colour (= pleasant and not very strong )

a soft drink (= which does not contain alcohol )

Would you like some wine, or a soft drink?

a soft heart (= a kind and sympathetic character )

Julia’s soft heart had been touched by Minnie’s grief.

an easy/soft target

Some criminals now regard churches as easy targets.

be soft on crime (= not punish crime severely enough )

He accused the government of being soft on crime.

faint/soft (= not loud )

The sound was so faint I wasn’t sure what it was at first.

firm/soft/hard etc mattress

an old, lumpy mattress

in a loud/soft/deep etc voice

‘Where is she?’, Kate demanded in a shrill voice.

loud/soft/quiet

They were kept awake by loud music from next door.

quiet/low/soft (= not loud )

When he spoke, his voice was soft and gentle.

smooth/soft

Her skin was smooth and pale.

soft cheese (= that you can spread )

Camembert is my favourite soft cheese.

soft copy

soft currency

soft drink

soft drug

soft drugs (= less strong drugs such as marijuana )

Soft drugs are legal in some countries.

soft focus

soft fruit

soft furnishings

soft landing

Hopes for a soft landing have faded.

soft palate

soft pastels

a room beautifully furnished in soft pastels

soft porn

soft sell

soft shoulder

soft target

soft toy

soft underbelly

They needed to find the soft underbelly of their opponents.

soft

The wheels got stuck in the soft earth.

soft (= not containing much calcium )

In our area the water is quite soft.

soft

The texure of the cheese is soft and creamy.

soft/cuddly toy British English (= a toy that looks like an animal and is covered in fur )

soft/loose curls (= gentle curves )

long brown hair in soft curls

soft/warm (= light that seems slightly yellow or orange )

the soft light of the candles

subdued/dim/soft lighting (= lighting that is not very bright )

wet/firm/soft etc underfoot

The wet wood is very slippery underfoot.

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADVERB

as

There are litters of kittens that aren't as soft as Maurice Taylor.

When he was young his hair had been that flaxen gold too, as soft and as fine.

My daughter feels as soft as a marshmallow, as warm as a hot-water bottle.

Polyester and polyamide yarns and fibres with ever-greater performance for competition suits as soft to the touch as they are resistant.

Dole aides believe they can paint the president as soft on crime by hammering his judicial nominees.

After all, the best washing-up liquid in the world can't keep your skin as soft as we can.

Our bones are as soft and changeable as those of the fetus we carried for nine months.

so

The sound was so soft that I could only just hear it.

He slid his hands over her waist, so soft like baby skin.

He despatched them and groaned again. So soft , so warm, so irresistible.

Really these children were getting so soft .

The bread was so soft our fingertips left dents near the crust.

The sand proved so soft that the overloaded lorries repeatedly bogged down.

Your lips are so soft , your hair is silky, your body is warm and so tender.

too

If your bed is too soft , it may be better to put a mattress on the floor and lie on that.

They echoed studio executives who found the film too soft .

Anyway, there are your pears, just nicely poached, not too soft and not too hard.

Lady Jones was saying something too soft for Denver to hear.

Add the caster sugar, if using, and sufficient water to cover, then poach until tender but not too soft .

Avoid shoes with too much cushioning -- they may be too soft or unstable.

But the course was too soft for him.

The dough may be too soft .

very

It will help if you lie down and have some very soft music playing.

Wrap in foil and bake in a 350 F oven until garlic is very soft and sweet, about 1 hour.

This makes the wings very soft to the touch and probably cuts down noise from feathers moving against one another during flight.

It was like eating very soft , uncooked marshmallow or egg pudding.

His skin felt very soft and cool under her lips.

What mechanism allows toadstools -- essentially very soft and squashy items -- to push through two inches of asphalt?

If the skin is very soft , the melon is over-ripe.

Cover and cook for 5-6min until they are very soft but not brown.

■ NOUN

cheese

Epoisses is a very popular washed rind soft cheese from Burgundy.

Because soft cheeses are perishable, they are kept small and / or thin; they are quickly ripened from the surface.

They inject soft cheeses , as I said, to stop them ripening too quickly.

Low fat hard and soft cheeses account for 8 percent of sales.

We've had Salmonella in chickens and eggs, and Listeria in chilled foods and soft cheeses .

Mix the soft cheese with the sugar, fold in the orange rind. 5 Fold cream into mixture.

It may be more difficult with soft cheeses and we will be examining this very carefully.

drink

The nearest supermarket is next door where you can buy some basics, such as soft drinks and beer in reception.

In the mornings Ruth Rasmussen would be ready with a cooler of sandwiches and soft drinks .

Their acidic characteristics makes them particularly suitable for the dairy industry, breweries and soft drink manufacturers.

Scientists will study how the astronauts like the soft drinks to see how space changes taste.

Don't you think you'd be better off with a soft drink ?

The packaging costs exceed the cost of basic ingredients in soft drinks , breakfast cereals, soups, and frozen dinners.

Filled rolls with tea, coffee and soft drinks will be dispensed.

The rate includes room, all meals, all daytime activities except a nearby archaeological dig, Belikin beer and soft drinks .

drug

However, is it not time to consider the possibility of legalising soft drugs , especially cannabis?

If we were to legalise soft drugs , that would no longer be a problem.

The principal's own inquiries revealed that seven boys had taken soft drugs from the pupil.

Almost a third admitted doing no work in an average day and more than half said they had used soft drugs .

earth

It pounded the soft earth and gurgled along the gutters to splash with relentless monotony into the tub outside the back door.

She was pointing at a recess scraped in the soft earth and pine needles.

He rolled as soon as he hit the soft earth and crashed into the base of a tree.

Gradually, as they worked, their feet sank into the soft earth and wet mud oozed up between their toes.

His hand closed over grass which was instantly torn from the soft earth and his boots were dislodged from their precarious footholds.

fruit

In the Perth/Borders area tourism and soft fruit occupied the summer and autumn periods.

It just seemed a pity that Norfolk should have no more appetising soft fruit .

In summer, the scrubbed slatted shelves inside the fruit house are used as a temporary store for soft fruits.

Then it had been filled again, but this time there were no soft fruits from her native land.

September Take cuttings from strong young shoots and root outdoors as for soft fruit .

furnishings

Thick curtains and other soft furnishings will also help absorb airborne noises.

Contrasting trimmings will highlight and define the shape of soft furnishings .

Output - some firms will have departments reflecting a particular product such as furniture, soft furnishings or kitchenware.

The couple's company designs and makes decorative glassware and soft furnishings as well as offering a full design and decorating service.

ground

Top weight and soft ground proved his undoing but he ran an absolute cracker to finish third to Sibton Abbey.

She is an inch long and digs a burrow six inches deep into soft ground .

The Covenanters drew swords and spears, advanced on to the soft ground , and engaged the Dragoons in bloody hand-to-hand fighting.

Second Set, whose disappointing fourth in the race last year was blamed on soft ground , could also be pulled out.

Another soft ground specialist, Green Lane, looks set for his fourth win in a row in the Krug Trophy.

On soft ground , the familiar rattle was replaced by the occasional noise of tearing metal.

This Sun Alliance Chase runner-up will be a match for any over three miles plus on soft ground .

Roundabouts would have firm handrails and soft ground around them.

landing

He had a soft landing on rough ground, and the foliage closed up again behind him.

leather

He laid upon the table a drawstring purse of soft leather , that chinked faintly as it shifted and settled.

With stylish roman numerals, gold-plated case and soft leather strap, these elegant watches are a pure delight to wear.

I wore it on cold days with soft leather boots, a mouton coat, and a large brimmed black felt hat.

No couch grass striping her soft leather shoes with cuckoo-spit here she thinks.

Both front seats are power-adjustable, and the interior is trimmed in soft leather .

Here muted lights, soft leather , stained wood and anaesthetic chamber music prevailed.

Select shoes made of soft leather .

light

On the landing a soft light shone into the dark from the corridor, as in memory.

The soft light of dusk was thinning, leaving trees and buildings blackened agalnst the evening sky.

His olive skin seemed to glint in the soft light of the hallway; the flat behind him was almost totally dark.

She took her place at his side again, and watched the exquisitely etched face in the soft light .

Street lights are not too bad because they don't shine directly into your face and only cast a fairly soft light.

The soft light of morning made rainbows through the crystals of the chandeliers.

As the seconds stretched into minutes so the advance of the soft light across the park unfolded beneath him.

A soft light glowed by the armchair.

loan

The production of renewable energy sources should also be promoted through grants, soft loans and fiscal incentives, the report concluded.

The funding packages-a mixture of soft loans , grants, scholarships and paid work on campus-vary.

money

Suspecting the worst, editorial boards and other high-minded folks demand an end to soft money .

Is your toilet paper honestly the softest money can buy?

But they can give parties any amount of soft money .

In theory, soft money is supposed to be used only for generic party activities and not to support specific candidates.

And there is no limit on the size of soft money contributions.

Dole now backs a ban on PACs, soft money contributions and the use of dues to finance labor union donations.

I was sinking fast in the mire of soft money .

The study covered soft money gifts to the national, House and Senate committees of each major party.

option

Just one proviso and it is one that everyone in our industry knows ... this business is no soft option .

And if anyone thinks this is a soft option - try a cliff-top route with a storm blowing.

Probation should in no sense be seen as a soft option by the judiciary.

It argued that these were not soft options but properly applied would be tough penalties which aided the battle to reduce crime.

So often in my life, where I've made a mistake, it has been by taking the soft option .

The soft option of imprisonment is not the answer!

Organisers deny it's a soft option .

side

Very few people ever saw his softer side , and she was one of them.

Enamel, stone and silver combinations are the softer side of the trend.

Its natural habitat offers water that is on the soft side , slightly acidic and heavily vegetated.

Then, too, he had a softer side .

The wind is causing cheeky corners of the sheet to tickle the soft sides of her tummy.

Raging fury from a new young band that sometimes reveals its soft side .

It was a defence mechanism her softer side needed at times.

Pin, tack then machine the soft side of touch-and-close fastener over the raw edges.

skin

Whatever caused the extinction, it is not soft skin that determined survival.

His belt buckle was digging into the soft skin of her stomach and she moved agitatedly, unconsciously provocative.

Kissed the soft skin of her face?

She has smooth, soft skin which glows softly as though a candle were just below the surface.

The soft skin on the armpits and inner thighs was covered in huge, raw blisters.

spot

He had a soft spot for Roy, the same as he did for Benny.

The length of the piece tends to display the soft spots of dystopian fiction: plot improbabilities, claustrophobic metaphors.

Below: The Teddy Robber has a soft spot for cuddly toys.

To find your soft spots , read the following rules and determine which ones you consistently break.

Chub I have a very soft spot in my heart for chub.

Most recently, Matt identified soft spots in our proposals including old and irrelevant information.

She had a soft spot for Jimmy.

Smart, alert, good hands, finds the soft spots .

target

First, an overwhelming urge to find a market researcher and kick him or her hard on a soft target area.

First, Barak was no soft target .

tissue

X-rays don't reveal much, either, since the inflammation lies in the soft tissues and not in the joints.

The same laser already is approved for surgery on soft tissue , such as gum surgery for periodontal disease.

The radio waves, magnetic field and computer technology combine to produce vivid images of the body's soft tissue .

These include the development of tetany and the deposition of calcium phosphate in soft tissues .

The only three-dimensional fossil of a dinosaur's soft tissue was unearthed here in the 90s.

The Bulls' forward has been suffering from a soft tissue injury on the bottom of his left foot.

Tumours contain a relatively high water content and therefore have a relatively long T1 and T2 compared with normal soft tissue .

There is just one problem: brains are part of the soft tissue of the body and so do not survive fossilization.

touch

Middlesbrough showed a resilience that emphasised they are no longer a soft touch on their travels.

And he knew I was a soft touch , that I did most of the housework so he could be free.

Cool for Cats at Stennis Head - a soft touch E15b.

He was the softest touch in the world.

Terry was such a soft touch .

And everybody should wonder why land speculators consider Oro Valley a much softer touch when they need a rezoning.

But Irina was no soft touch .

Artisans needed more than just fertile imaginations and a soft touch with a trowel to bring their work to life.

toy

And don't pile soft toys in the cot.

She is also well known locally for the soft toys she makes for various charities.

Suppose it has tried to promote a special line of soft toys by selling them next to infants' clothes.

The couple are pictured with some of the more than 1,000 soft toys they received from wellwishers after their son's death.

Do you know she's still got two shelves full of soft toys ?

Their range includes a fine, natural Kapok which makes an ideal filling for soft toys and other items.

voice

He scarcely heard her soft voice going on about paraffin heaters and electrical wall fans.

The check was being prepared, he said in a soft voice .

The softer voices of some of the country's most accomplished actresses were at the bottom of the charts.

With her soft voice and her calm exterior, she absolutely would not let creditors off the hook.

Jahsaxa's friends politely praised hir appearance, asking flattering questions in soft voices , always smiling.

Mrs Sano has a quiet, moonlike beauty and a soft voice that makes you want to listen.

There were soft voices coming from inside.

water

Ideally soft water , especially rain-water.

It requires soft water and some shade.

Quick tip Want soft water for your fish?

Very soft water produces excellent specimens.

Water condition: Very soft water with slight acidity.

If you keep soft water fish you would need to test for general hardness.

Very soft water is not suitable, as there is not enough dissolved calcium carbonate, the main material of the shell.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a soft/easy touch

And he knew I was a soft touch , that I did most of the housework so he could be free.

Artisans needed more than just fertile imaginations and a soft touch with a trowel to bring their work to life.

Cool for Cats at Stennis Head - a soft touch E15b.

Leeds are a soft touch when it comes to transfers.

Middlesbrough showed a resilience that emphasised they are no longer a soft touch on their travels.

My client was a soft touch .

Next to it goes a soft touch 6a, Cocoluche, which has an easily avoidable 6b section.

Terry was such a soft touch .

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

Soft land prices have helped boost new home sales.

Soft lighting creates a romantic atmosphere.

a soft cheese

a soft pillow

A good moisturizer will leave your skin softer and smoother.

a selection of hard and soft cheeses

a whisper so soft that I could scarcely hear it

an expensive pair of soft leather gloves

Analysts expressed fears of a softer U.S. market for large cars.

Apply the polish with a soft cloth.

Compared with today's ideal, 19th-century ladies appear much softer.

He doesn't have the right personality to be an army officer, he's too soft .

He spoke in a whisper so soft that I could hardly hear it.

He spoke with a soft Irish accent.

Her hair was soft and silky.

I need a softer pillow.

In the soft evening light Sonya looked ten years younger.

Just because a guy is bright and plays the guitar doesn't mean he's soft .

Polish the chrome with a soft cloth.

She fell over several times, but came to no harm in the soft new snow.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion until soft and beginning to brown at the edges.

I leave the softer grades until the whole drawing is practically finished, to prevent unintentional smudging.

In the gap between the brassière and the pinched waistband of her skirt, her flesh bulged in a pale soft band.

Reject any that are even slightly soft or in any way discoloured.

The guy on the right is younger, with a softer, more expressive face.

The Lions play a perplexingly soft defense, where they willingly allow teams to throw short, underneath passes.

The walls were of plaster, painted soft green and decorated with silver and gold lozenges.

Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary.      Дополнительный английский словарь Longman DOCE5.