Soap Operas Were Named After Their Sponsors
Soap cleans by joining water and grease. The television genre is named for detergent adverts.
Soap is a cleaning substance made by treating fats with an alkali. It works because each soap molecule has a water-loving end and a grease-loving end, so it grips dirt at one end and water at the other and lets the two be rinsed away together. Water alone cannot do this. The *soap opera* is named literally: American daytime serials of the 1930s were sponsored by detergent manufacturers such as Procter and Gamble, who made them to reach housewives.
- A cleaning agent. *A bar of soap.*
- To wash. *Soaping his hands.*
- A serial drama. *A soap opera.*
- Soapy — full of soap. *Soapy water.*
- Old English — *sape*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | soap | Soap. |
| Verb | soap | Soaping. |
| Adjective | soapy | Soapy. |
| Compound | soap opera | A soap opera. |
| Latin | sapo | Soap. |
- Wash with soap and water.Cleaning.
- She watches the soaps.Television.
- Detergent firms sponsored them.History.
How soap cleans
- One end of the molecule is attracted to water
- The other end is attracted to oil and grease
- Molecules surround a grease droplet, water-loving ends outward
- The droplet is then carried away by water
- This structure is called a micelle
Old English *sape*, of Germanic origin, related to Latin *sapo*, a hair dye then a cleanser.
Why are they called soap operas?
Because American daytime radio and television serials of the 1930s were sponsored by soap and detergent manufacturers.
How does soap actually clean?
Each molecule grips grease at one end and water at the other, surrounding droplets so they can be rinsed away.