<B>soft coal,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> coal that burns with a yellow, smoky flame; bituminous coal. </DL>
<A NAME="softcoatedwheatenterrier">
<B>soft-coated wheaten terrier,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a breed of terriers originating in Ireland, having a wheat-colored coat of shaggy hair and a docked tail. It stands 18 or 19 inches high and weighs from 35 to 45 pounds. </DL>
<A NAME="softcore">
<B>soft-core, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> not graphic or explicit; not hard-core. <BR> <I>Ex. soft-core pornography.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="softcorn">
<B>soft corn,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a corn between the toes. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=flour corn.</B> </DL>
<B>soft currency,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a currency backed by government credit, but not entirely by gold or silver. Soft currency cannot be readily converted into other currencies without discount. </DL>
<A NAME="softdetergent">
<B>soft detergent,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a detergent that can be decomposed by bacteria in sewage. </DL>
<A NAME="softdock">
<B>soft dock,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a joining of two spacecraft without a mechanical coupling. <BR> <I>Ex. The two spacecraft joined in a "soft dock" in which they touched but could not be locked together (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="softdrink">
<B>soft drink,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a drink that does not contain alcohol. Soft drinks are sweetened, flavored, and usually carbonated. </DL>
<A NAME="softdrug">
<B>soft drug,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any drug that is not considered physically addictive, such as marijuana, mescaline, and various amphetamines. <BR> <I>Ex. Although there was no doubt about the deleterious effects of hard drugs (heroin, morphine, etc.), there was much debate concerning the harmful effects of the soft drugs, such as marijuana (Donn L. Smith).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="soften">
<B>soften, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to make soft or softer. <BR> <I>Ex. Lotion softens the skin.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to become soft or softer. <BR> <I>Ex. Soap softens in water.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S. Figurative.) to decrease; decline. <BR> <I>Ex. business was strong until the middle of September, then began softening (Wall Street Journal).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>soften up,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to weaken. </I> <I>Ex. Did they in fact lose ... because they had been softened up by the good life? (Saturday Review).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative.) to placate. <BR> <I>Ex. I thought, in short, that I was softening up the citizens, and they thought they were softening me up, at least to the point where a dialogue becomes possible (Atlantic).</I> <DD><B> c. </B>to ease. <BR> <I>Ex. The Governor hoped the stringent Guard regulations might soften up the stubborn resistance of merchants and restaurateurs, who have been adamant in opposing any integration (New York Times).</I> <DD><B> d. </B>to lessen the ability of (a country or region) to resist invasion or attack through preliminary bombing, shelling, etc., or through propaganda, or both. <BR> <I>Ex. In the Indian softening up operations several places in East Pakistan were bombed and saboteurs dropped to prepare for the actual invasion (London Times).</I> noun <B>softener.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="softeningofthebrain">
<B>softening of the brain,<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. </B>a degenerative disease of the brain in which the tissues become soft and fatty, caused by a deficient blood supply. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=general paresis.</B> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Informal.) a weakening of the mental processes. </DL>
<A NAME="softfinned">
<B>soft-finned, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (of fish) not having spines in the fins. </DL>
<A NAME="softfocus">
<B>soft focus,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> intentional diffusion of the light in a photograph or motion-picture film to lessen the sharpness of detail, obtained either by a special lens or attachment on the camera, or by certain methods in processing. </DL>
<A NAME="softfocus">
<B>soft-focus, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having, characterized by, or causing a soft focus. </DL>
<A NAME="softgoods">
<B>soft goods,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> textiles, clothing, and other dry goods. </DL>
<B>softhead, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a simpleton; fool. </DL>
<A NAME="softheaded">
<B>soft-headed</B> or <B>softheaded, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> foolish; silly. <BR> <I>Ex. He would adopt a middle ground between ... panicked retreat ... and ... soft-headed submission (New York Times).</I> adv. <B>soft-headedly,</B> <B>softheadedly.</B> noun <B>soft-headedness,</B> <B>softheadedness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="softhearted">
<B>soft-hearted</B> or <B>softhearted, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> gentle; kind; tender. <BR> <I>Ex. My grandmother was ... soft-hearted to children (Harriet Beecher Stowe).</I> adv. <B>soft-heartedly,</B> <B>softheartedly.</B> noun <B>soft-heartedness,</B> <B>softheartedness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="softie">
<B>softie, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) a softy. </DL>
<A NAME="softish">
<B>softish, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> somewhat soft; rather tender. <BR> <I>Ex. A bed of softish limestone (Thomas H. Huxley).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="softland">
<B>soft-land, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> to land (a spacecraft or instruments) slowly so as to avoid serious damage. <BR> <I>Ex. The four "feet" of the vehicle scheduled to soft-land two U.S. astronauts on the moon ... received a patent from the U.S. Patent Office (Science News Letter).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to make a soft landing. <BR> <I>Ex. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Surveyor I spacecraft on a mission to soft-land on the moon and photograph its surface (Mitchell R. Sharpe).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> a soft landing. <BR> <I>Ex. Soft-lands in bright areas--the lowlands--are ... easier from an engineering point of view (London Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="softlander">
<B>soft-lander, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a spacecraft designed to make a soft landing. </DL>
<A NAME="softlanding">
<B>soft landing,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the landing of a spacecraft or instruments, on a body in outer space at such slow speed as to avoid serious damage to the landing object: [They] <BR> <I>Ex. launched another unmanned spacecraft toward the moon ... in an apparent attempt to achieve a soft landing of an instrument package (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="softlens">
<B>soft lens,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a contact lens made of a porous plastic that becomes soft when it absorbs the moisture of the eyes and causes less discomfort or irritation than the harder type of lens. </DL>
<A NAME="softline">
<B>soft line,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a moderate, flexible attitude or policy, especially in politics. <BR> <I>Ex. Canada, Norway, Denmark and Italy prefer a "soft" line and want to leave the Council where it is to minimise the rupture with France (Sunday Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="softliner">
<B>soft-liner, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who adopts or follows a soft line. </DL>
<A NAME="softloan">
<B>soft loan,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a loan at a very low rate of interest and a long period in which to repay it, as in foreign aid. </DL>
<A NAME="softmoney">
<B>soft money,</B> =paper money.</DL>
<A NAME="softness">
<B>softness, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the condition or quality of being soft. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) mildness; gentleness. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) weakness of character or disposition. <DD><B> 4. </B>ease; comfort; luxury. </DL>
<A NAME="softpalate">
<B>soft palate,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the fleshy back part of the roof of the mouth. </DL>
<A NAME="softpasteporcelain">
<B>soft-paste porcelain,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a creamy white, translucent porcelain made from a white firing clay combined with a fusible silicate or mass of glass, sand, broken china, or the like. </DL>
<A NAME="softpedal">
<B>soft pedal,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a pedal for softening the tone of a piano. </DL>
<A NAME="softpedal">
<B>soft-pedal, </B>verb, <B>-aled,</B> <B>-aling</B> or (especially British) <B>-alled,</B> <B>-alling.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to soften the sound of by means of the soft pedal. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to tone down; play down. <BR> <I>Ex. State Department officials soft-pedal any speculation that dramatic new accords may emerge from the talks (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to use a pedal on a piano, or organ to soften musical tones. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to tone down. <BR> <I>Ex. Both parties are at present "soft-pedalling" on the world-revolution thesis (London Daily Express).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="softrays">
<B>soft rays,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> radiation of low penetrating power, such as is obtained from tubes of low vacuum. </DL>
<A NAME="softrock">
<B>soft rock,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a low-keyed, rhythmically free, sophisticated form of rock'n'roll. <BR> <I>Ex. His songs delve ingeniously into hard and soft rock, blues, gospel, even country rock (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="softrot">
<B>soft rot,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a plant disease caused by bacteria or fungi that dissolve the substance cementing the cell walls together. The result is a general decay, or rot, of fleshy tissues. </DL>
<A NAME="softscience">
<B>soft science,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any of the social or behavioral sciences, such as political science, economics, sociology, and psychology. <BR> <I>Ex. One may define technology to mean political technique as well as nuts and bolts; that is, the soft sciences along with the hard (Ward Just).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="softsculpture">
<B>soft sculpture,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a sculpture made out of cloth, plastic, foam rubber, or other soft, pliable material. </DL>
<A NAME="softsell">
<B>soft sell,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) a relaxed way of selling, by suggestion and persuasion rather than by pressure or aggressiveness. </DL>
<A NAME="softshell">
<B>soft-shell, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>=soft-shelled.</B> <DD><I>noun </I> a person or animal that is soft-shelled. </DL>
