no soap

The phrase appears, with no clear meaning, in a 1755 Samuel Foote nonsense prose poem, "The Grand Panjandrum". In the U.S., soap took on the meaning of money (see OED), and so no soap was a denial of money, say in response to a request for some.

• "I went back down to the men's room on the second floor and yelled his name in front of the private apartments, but no soap."
• "I waited for his assistance but it didn't come. He let me trail for I don't know how long. I hollered and cried, cursed, rocked the boat. No soap."
• "I rang. Nothing happened. I rang again and leaned on it. No soap."
• "Still and all, after weighing the pluses and minuses of Smooth's offer, he came, to the only possible conclusion for a civilized man—no soap."
• "And he tried again—Lou always persisted—but no soap."

• no joy
• nothing doing