soup
soup
Pronunciation
soup: /suːp/
soo-: /suː/ (the vowel sound in "moon")
-p: /p/ (the voiceless bilabial plosive, as in "pot")
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: soup
Plural Noun: soups
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A liquid dish, typically savory, made by boiling ingredients such as meat, fish, or vegetables in stock or water, often seasoned and served hot as a starter or main course.
Synonyms: broth, consommé, bisque, stew, potage
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, as it describes a specific type of food. One might consider "solid food" as a very broad conceptual antonym.)
(Informal) A difficult or troublesome situation; a predicament.
Synonyms: mess, trouble, pickle, jam, fix, predicament
Antonyms: clear, ease, simplicity, solution, advantage
Verb
(Often with "up") To improve or enhance something, especially a machine or engine, to increase its power or efficiency.
Synonyms: boost, enhance, improve, modify, upgrade, hotrod (informal)
Antonyms: weaken, diminish, impair, degrade, spoil
(Rare, informal) To become or cause to become saturated with liquid; to soak.
Synonyms: drench, saturate, soak, steep
Antonyms: dry, dehydrate, drain
Examples of Use
Books:
"When the first frost arrived, Mama would always make her famous lentil soup, its warmth chasing away the chill." (From a work of fiction, representing general literary use)
"The detective found himself in a real soup after the main suspect vanished without a trace." (Used informally to denote a difficult situation, from a crime novel)
Newspapers:
"Chef Julian P. Smith, formerly of the acclaimed 'The Golden Spoon,' is launching a new line of artisanal vegan soups available in select supermarkets starting next month." (The Daily Herald)
"Analysts suggest the company's recent acquisition has landed them in hot soup with anti-trust regulators." (The Business Chronicle)
Online Publications:
"Our comprehensive guide to the best slow cooker chicken noodle soup recipes for a cozy winter evening." (Food52)
"Tech enthusiasts are eager to see how much the new processor will 'soup up' the performance of the latest gaming consoles." (TechCrunch)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
"Soup of the Day" (A recurring segment title on a popular morning talk show, often featuring a different recipe, as seen on "Good Morning America," various dates)
"The show's ratings have been in a real soup since the lead actor left." (A comment on a television fan forum, discussing a show's decline, Reddit)
(From a video game) "You've collected all the ingredients for the Healing Soup! Your health is fully restored." (In-game text from a fantasy role-playing game)
General Public Discourse:
"I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so I'm just going to stay home and have some tomato soup." (Casual conversation between friends)
"We really need to soup up our marketing efforts if we want to compete in this market." (Heard in a business meeting)
"He's in the soup for missing his deadline again." (A parent discussing their child's behavior)
10 Quotes Using Soup
"Too many cooks soup the broth." (Traditional Proverb)
"Life is a soup and I am a fork." (From the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, 1971)
"Only the pure in heart can make a good Artichoke Soup." (Jean Giraudoux)
"I never cook. My favorite restaurant is my house, and I like to eat soup." (Herman Wouk)
"Love and soup are best when hot." (Traditional Proverb)
"He who says soup is not for eating, does not know hunger." (African Proverb)
"You can't get into hot water without getting into hot soup first." (From the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, 1951)
"My favorite food in the world is probably a big plate of soup." (Cat Deeley)
"Money is like manure, it's not good unless it's spread around. There's a lot of us who are soup and not spread." (Will Rogers)
"The very first things that I can remember are the smells of coffee and bacon and soup." (Robert Frost)
Etymology
The word "soup" has a warm and hearty history, much like the dish itself!
It comes from the Proto-Germanic word "*sup-", which meant "to sup, to drink, to taste." This gives us a clue that originally, "soup" was probably more about drinking a liquid than eating something thick with a spoon.
This root evolved into the Old Frankish word "*suppa," referring to a piece of bread soaked in broth. Imagine dipping your bread into a flavorful liquid – that was the earliest idea connected to "soup."
The word then made its way into Old French as "soupe," keeping that meaning of "broth, or bread soaked in broth." From Old French, it came into English in the 14th century.
So, the first known use of "soup" in English, around the 14th century, referred to a dish that often involved bread soaked in a liquid. Over time, the meaning broadened to encompass the wide variety of liquid-based meals we know as "soup" today.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Soup
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "soup":
In the soup: In trouble or a difficult situation.
Alphabet soup: A jumble of acronyms or initialisms that are difficult to understand.
Souped up: Modified or enhanced for greater power or performance (often used for vehicles).
Pea-souper: A very thick fog, especially one with a yellowish-green color.
From soup to nuts: From beginning to end; comprehensively.
Go into a flat spin/soup: To lose control; to become confused or disoriented (often used in aviation contexts, sometimes shortened to "go into a soup").
Hot soup: A predicament or a difficult situation, similar to "in the soup" but perhaps implying more immediate pressure.
Make a soup of it: To mess something up badly; to make something disorganized or confused.
Soupy weather: Weather that is wet and foggy, or generally unpleasant and damp.
Soup kitchen: A place where free food, often including soup, is served to the homeless or needy.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of soup from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
