Sops
Cultural Context
Act 3,
Scene 2
Lines 164-171
Gremio
Here, sops does not refer, as it would today, to the dregs left in a glass of wine. That sense only appeared a century after this play was written. At weddings during Shakespeare time, it was customary to serve little cakes which had been soaked (sopped) in wine. These are what the sexton asks Petruchio to pass, and what Petruchio proceeds to throw in his face.