S.O.P.

sop «sop», noun, verb, sopped, sop|ping.

–n.

1. a piece of food dipped or soaked in milk, broth, or the like.

2. Figurative. something given to soothe or quiet; bribe: »

Concessions are a sop to the malcontents in the organization.

3. a person or thing that is thoroughly soaked.

4. an accumulation of some liquid: »

a great pool and sop of blood (Hawthorne).

–v.t.

1. to dip or soak: »

to sop bread in milk.

2. to take up (water or other liquid); wipe; mop: »

Please sop up that water with a cloth.

3. to soak thoroughly; drench.

–v.i.

1. to be drenched.

2. to soak in or through.

● ↑sopping wet,

╂[Old English sopp, noun]

sop.,

soprano.

SOP (no periods) or S.O.P.,

standing (or standard) operating procedure: »

Presumably this was S.O.P.—standard operating procedure—by which they made themselves difficult targets from the ground (Ralph Ingersoll). I've been going around for years reminding people SOP is an abbreviation of the Army phrase “standing operating procedure,” but everyone still says “standard” (Jerome Beatty, Jr.).