soft spot

noun

1. a weak or vulnerable position, place, condition, etc..

   a soft spot in their fortifications; a soft spot in the economy.

2. emotional susceptibility.

   a soft spot for dogs and babies.

soft spot

noun

1. a sentimental fondness (esp in the phrase have a soft spot for )

Word History and Origins

Origin of soft spot¹

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Idioms and Phrases

A weak or vulnerable point, as in That's the soft spot in his argument . [Mid-1900s]

have a soft spot for . Have a tender or sentimental feeling for, as in Grandpa had a soft spot for Brian, his first grandson . This expression, first recorded in 1753 as “a soft place in one's heart,” uses soft in the sense of “tender.”

Example Sentences

Still, neither a soft spot in the schedule nor the realities of the calendar has remedied that issue.

From Los Angeles Times

Will older voters have a soft spot for this featherweight Gen X friends drama, or were they just watching to take notes on places to visit in upstate New York?

From Los Angeles Times

Carrie also has a soft spot for emotionally unavailable men; this one spends half of his life in London, making him physically unavailable for half the year as well.

From Salon

"Obviously I have seven kids so you've got to think about them all but I have a soft spot for Kieran and what I did for him," he said.

From BBC

"I had a beautiful old oak tree, that's gone. I've a soft spot for bats and used to love watch them flying around the oak tree in the evening, they've gone."

From BBC