■ verb [V] 1 to perform a soft-shoe dance ft H is ff 2 [+adv./prep.] to move somewhere very quietly, without attracting attention JIAllJWfeA;

.soft 'shoulder noun (NAmE) a strip of ground with a soft surface at the edge of a road ( ) ft

Jijrl&Jit — compare verge n.

.soft-'soap verb [VN] (informal) to say nice things to sb in order to persuade them to do sth ( )

ft► .soft ‘soap noun [U] .soft- spoken (also less frequent .softly-'spoken) adj.

having a gentle and quiet voice ifcr .soft 'target noun a person or thing that it is very easy to attack ) ; ft@^'

.soft ‘tissue noun [U, C] (anatomy $$) the parts of the body that are not bone, for example the skin and muscles ( Aflft JjJlP^ ) ft£UR ’soft top noun a type of car that has a soft roof that can be folded down or removed; the roof of such a car ft ( fCAfft ) ft®H — see also convertible n. .soft 'toy (BrE) (also .stuffed 'animal NAmE, BrE) noun a toy in the shape of an animal, made of cloth and filled with a soft substance ( ) ftffcSuA,

Soft-Ware 0-w /• softwea(r); NAmE 'soiftwer/ noun [U] the programs, etc. used to operate a computer ft ft¹ : application/system software jSJI / ^^Eft# 0 design/ educational/music-sharing, etc. software if . ft W. ^^A^ft# ❖ to install/run a piece of software A ^ / Is fr A A ft # ⁰ Ae software run on my machine? & ft ft A A ft W ftl flA jf] t®; ? — compare hardware(I)

software engineer noun a person who writes computer programs ft#A^|Jip

'software package noun (computing if) = package

n.{ 4)

soft-wood /'sDftwud; A/AmE 'so:ft-/ noun [U, C] wood from trees such as pine, that is cheap to produce and can be cut easily ftjjjr A, ft A ( ) —compare

HARDWOOD softy = SOFTIE

soggy /'sngi; NAmE 'saigi/ adj. (sog-gier, sog-gi-est) wet and soft, usually in a way that is unpleasant lift ; ft w0j. ft : We squelched over the soggy ground. n&iifipn£HP ilk Ail 2® It Aifko o soggy bread

soh (also so) /sau; NAmE sou/ (also sol) noun (music #) the fifth note of a major scale AiJIWRfrWIfiSit soi-disant /.swa: dii'zfj; NAmE -'za;/ adj. [only before noun] (from French) used to show sb’s description of himself/ herself, usually when you do not agree with it g #J; a soi-disant novelist & if#}/H&M

soi gnee /'swcunjei; NAmE swain'jei/ adj. (from French, formal) (used of women fc '[4) elegant; carefully and neatly dressed Soil 0-w /soil/ noun, verb

m noun [U, C] 1 the top layer of the earth in which plants, trees, etc. grow ± ii : poor/dry/acid/sandy/fertile, etc. soil 0 the

study of rocks and soils 0 soil

erosion ftili'Btt'fe 2 (literary) a country; an area of land HJ±; Aitk: It was the first time I had set foot on

African soil. $5 H He W> — ± # M Aife» o note at

FLOOR

u verb [VN] [often passive] {formal) to make sth dirty : soiled linen Jjf£7#J 0 0 (figurative) I don’t want you

soiling your hands with this sort of work (= doing sth unpleasant or wrong). &#l£7#

A o — see also shop-soiled

'soil pipe noun a pipe that carries waste water from a building ( ) ttAfr

'soil science noun [u] the study of soil, for example the study of its structure or characteristics ( W A A

>

soiree /'swairei; NAmE swai'rei/ noun (from French, formal) a formal party in the evening, especially at sb’s home (

so-journ /'snd30n; NAmE 'soud33:rn/ noun (literary) a temporary stay in a place away from your home jl if; Wft; JjfcJir ► so-journ verb [V +adv./prep.} sol /sdI; NAmE soul/ noun = soh

sol-ace /'solas; NAmE ’sailas/ noun [U, sing.] {formal) a feeling of emotional comfort when you are sad or disappointed; a person or thing that makes you feel better or happier when you are sad or disappointed

Alt; ttif; ^IRAit^A ( ) Boa COMFORT:

He sought solace in the whisky bottle. 0 She

turned to Rob for solace. MMP A3$ JL.%- ^ It fit<, o His grandchildren were a solace in his old age. life A M. Jh J L in # A # M A It o ► so-lace verb : [VN] (literary) She smiled, as though solaced by the memory. M%~T,

solar /'saula(r); NAmE 'sou-/ adj. [only before noun] 1 of or connected with the sun APBfrtl: solar radiation APBH It o the solar cycle APHtS^jj^ 2 using the sun’s energy APBIIIKJ: solar power/heating APBfgsJjA /

.solar 'cell noun a device that converts light and heat energy from the sun into electricity APBt^feffk 'solar cooker noun (IndE) a container for cooking food that uses heat from the sun APBfb^ sol ar ium /sa'leariam; NAmE -'ler-j noun a room whose walls are mainly made of glass, or which has special lamps, where people go to get a suntan (= make their skin go brown) using light from the sun or artificial light Bft^g; SiftS

SYNONYMS

soil

mud * clay ♦ land ♦ earth ♦ dirt ♦ ground

These are all words for the top layer of the earth in which plants grow. RJ>AJ#₀ soil the top layer of the earth in which plants grow AS: Plant the seedlings in damp soil.

iSMAftS.

mud wet soil that is soft and sticky IS'ffS, t®

%_: The car wheels got stuck in the mud. fcftftftpg

UlIiTo

clay a type of heavy sticky soil that becomes hard when it is baked and is used to make things such as pots and bricks fgifift/ pijj A: The tiles are made of

ciay.&mmfkm±Mm₀

land an area of ground, especially of a particular type AitA an area of rich, fertile

land

earth the substance that plants grow in t!A,

A Earth is often used about the soil found

in gardens or used for gardening. * earth ^^l'XfgVc l*i.lUjc#/fc:ff] MiJSA: She put some earth into the pot.

dirt (especially NAmE) soil, especially loose soil jgM A, A left A, ft A: Pack the dirt firmly around the plants.

ground an area of soil #§ Aft: The car got stuck in the muddy ground. /A A PS 3\ MJffe M To o They drove across miles of rough, stony ground. liifdfiAft/ ^-S'WAffeo C23H1 Ground is not used for loose soil. * ground ftA:

a handful-of dry ground

PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS

■ good/rich soil/land/earth

■ fertile/infertile soil/land/ground

■ to dig the soil/land/earth/ground

■ to cultivate the soil/land/earth/ground

■ a lump of soil/mud/clay/earth

a piece of clay/land/earth/ground i a plot of land/ground