Steve Bennett wrote: All it fundamentally means is something non-alcoholic, as in the opposite of "hard drink". Lemonade can be a soft drink (unless of course it's hard lemonade), but it doesn't qualify as pop or soda. As with freeway/motorway/etc., there is no single satisfactory term that both includes all that should be included, and excludes all that should be excluded. If you want to say carbonated non-alcoholic flavo(u)red beverage with absolute precision, that's what you have to say. --Michael Snow