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Glite Dictionary
no soap

no soap

1 9.9
To say that something failed or did not work
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : sin éxito
  • After trying to fix the car all day, I finally admitted that there was no soap on getting it to work.

Examples

  • After several attempts, it was clear that there was no soap.

  • I tried to fix my car, but it was no soap.

  • He applied for several jobs, but it was no soap all summer.

  • I tried calling the support line, but no soap—they never answered.

  • She hoped for a promotion, but in the end it was no soap.

  • Despite his best efforts, there was still no soap in convincing them to join the team.

  • She thought the plan would succeed, but after the first attempt, there was no soap.

Synonyms

no joy
vsno soap
  • Informal
9 8.7

Not getting any success when you try something

states clear failure rather than merely lacking a positive outcome
no dice
vsno soap
  • Informal
9.7

Not possible or allowed

describes an actual unsuccessful attempt rather than a prior refusal

Antonyms

success
∞ 1.0

Getting what you want after working hard

achievement
344 2.3

A success you reach after working hard

How Successful

successful
∞ 1.6
no soap
  • Informal
1 9.9

Surface Forms

no soap main

Morphology

no + soap

The sense 'failure / it didn’t work' is not transparently built from 'no' (negation) + 'soap' (a cleaning product); a B1 learner would plausibly interpret 'no soap' as literally lacking soap rather than as ‘didn't work’. This is a colloquial, idiomatic use (not a regular compositional pattern) and therefore unpredictable from the constituents, so it should be classified as opaque.

Etymology

The phrase no soap may come from the simple image of trying to wash something but finding there is no soap to help, so the job cannot be done. That's why people use it to mean 'no success' or 'it didn't work'.