A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

sob sister • sobbing sisters
sob sister —(coll.) 
1
. a weak woman who is prone to crying:
I had another sob sister in the office today. Went through half
a box of tissues. 2. a writer of sentimental newspaper stories:
I worked as a newspaper reporter, specializing in what my edi-
tor called “sob sister” features.
sobbing sisters —(Army, WWII) German six-barreled mor-
tars: This resulted in an intense enemy barrage…. Artillery,
“sobbing sisters” and small arms fire were all employed.
social realism • socialist realism
social realism —art that depicts the more wretched aspects
of urban industrial society in a naturalistic manner: The early-
twentieth-century realism reappeared in the United States dur-
ing the depression years as a school of Social Realism.
socialist realism —method of art and literary composition in
the former Soviet Union aimed at glorifying the socialist sys-
tem: Socialist Realism means seeing all reality as a develop-
ment toward socialism.
soft about someone • soft on someone
soft about someone —(coll.) sentimentally silly about smb.;
in love with a person: He’s too soft about the girl to see her
faults.
soft on someone —
1
. lacking sternness in one’s treatment of
smb.; lenient towards a person: Many people think our courts
are too soft on violent criminals. 2. = soft about someone: Ernie
had an interest in my older sister. He was soft on her. She was
quite attractive but not interested in him.
Note: 
The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with
the phrase soft with someone— = soft on someone 
1
: Death
penalty uncivilized? Maybe some think being too soft with
criminals is the same thing as civility.
soft currency • soft money
soft currency —(also: weak currency) a currency unstable in
value in the international money market: A soft currency is
by definition, non-convertible — that is, cannot be converted
into gold or dollars.
soft money —
1
. (also: folding money) paper money (as con-
trasted with coins): The animated screen saver shows all money
of EURO, both a soft money and coins. 2. money which is
plentiful and therefore available at low interest rates and long
payback : Local supporters of soft money were weak, and
Slovenia immediately implemented a tight-money policy upon
independence. 3. research money obtained from grants, con-
tracts, etc.: Scientists who have depended on soft money are
now beginning to worry. …they are starting to be concerned
about where the next money is coming from. 4. (U.S.) political
donations made in such a way as to avoid federal regulations:
Only Connecticut has a law that prevents the parties from
flooding its elections with soft money donations.