Dear BB:

You wrote:
> Soap opera is two words – when one says soap opera-like does it use two
> hyphens, or one – or is it never appropriate? soap-opera-like??? soap
> opera-like??? Help!
>
Good question. Hyphenated words in English are not as common as they used to be. Normally, “soap opera” is two words. You were probably correct, though strictly colloquial, by adding a hyphen with “like” (your last choice above).

If you are using formal English–e.g., this is a business letter and not a personal memo–then avoid any construction with “-like” unless you find it in the dictionary. It is theoretically possible to add “-like” to just about any noun to make it an adjective, but that is not a standard construction. If this is formal writing, then say something like “the plot was like a soap opera” or “the situation reminded us of a soap opera” to avoid the awkward expression altogether.