soft spot

American  

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.

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soft spot British  

noun

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

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soft spot Idioms  

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

2. 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.”

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Etymology

Origin of soft spot

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

Example Sentences

I have a soft spot for the cinnamon coffee cake from Starbucks — or rather, for what I remember it being like when I was 12.

From Salon

For the rest of his life, had a soft spot for the meals she prepared during the lean years of World War II.

From The Wall Street Journal

Celia and Mom don’t eat meat anymore, and I’m mostly vegetarian, too, but Mom knows I have a soft spot for hot dogs.

From Literature

I turned over another, but I could dig my thumb into its soft spots.

From Literature

And though their paths diverged after they respectively left Pierpoint, their soft spot for each other remains.

From Salon