As stout as lye soap?

[Torsten]

Have you ever heard the phrase 'as stout as lye soap'?

TOEIC listening, photographs: The operating theatre

[Haihao]

Could the phrase be possibly changed to 'as stout as soap lye'? If so, it could be interpreted as 'so strong (a drink) that it's almost like soap lye', couldn't it?

Just my two cents.

haihao

[Yankee]

.
I've heard of 'lye soap'.
I know the word 'stout'.
Using 'as...as' is a commonly used format for comparisons (simile).

Is your phrase a commonly used combination of all of the above? No, it isn't.
Can those elements possibly be combined the way they are in your phrase? Yes.
.
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