soapbox

Meanings

Noun

• A crate for packing soap.
• Any physical or media platform which gives prominence to the person on it and the views they espouse.
• A talk about one's pet topic (or the topic itself), especially when only tangentially relevant to an ongoing discussion.
• A soapbox car.

Verb

• To give a speech from (or as if from) a soapbox.

Origin

• soap + box
• 
  
• (The figurative use of the word derives from the fact that soap products in the US used to be commonly transported to stores in large wooden boxes. It used to be common for individuals to give impromptu rally speeches to their neighbors by finding something to stand on like a soapbox.)