soft touch

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

soft touch (plural soft touches)

1. (idiomatic) A person or group that is sympathetic, accommodating, easily overcome, or easily persuaded, especially one that loans or readily gives money to another.
   • 1931 August 15, Roscoe McGowen, “Baseball: Cards, in farewell, upset Robins, 9-3”, in New York Times, page 11:

     But Fred Heimach, who batted for Quinn in the Brooklyn half and fanned, proved a soft touch for the Cardinals in the ninth.

   • 2004, Jeanette Windle, Firestorm, →ISBN, page 55:

     She was a soft touch for anyone with a genuine need.

   • 2008 December 8, “Get tough on border security, oppn”, in Sky News, Australia, retrieved 8 December 2008:

     The federal opposition says people smugglers now see Australia as a soft touch on border security.

2. (idiomatic) A comfortable situation; an easy task or undemanding occupation, especially one which is comfortably remunerative.
   • 1939, T. Mitchell, “The ‘Soft Touch’ in Teaching”, in Washington Education, volume 71, number 1, page 28:

     Many people, not in the teaching profession, have the mistaken idea that teaching is a "soft touch."

   • 1998, James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small, →ISBN, page 266:

     I finally abandoned any lingering illusions I had had that Ministry work was a soft touch.

Synonyms

• (sympathetic, accommodating person or group): pushover, softy, sucker