phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Get off your soapbox

Posted by R. Berg on August 17, 2001

In Reply to: Get off your soapbox posted by Lesley M on August 17, 2001

:
: I've heard this expression used with reference to someone who is going on and on about something or possibly forcing an opinion on someone. Can anyone confirm this/provide the origin of the phrase?

That's what it means, and it comes from times past when soap was packed in sturdy wooden boxes for the retailer, who discarded the boxes, which were then appropriated as speaking platforms by people who intended to rant in public about some (e.g., political) issue.

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.