soft-pedal
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soft-ped·al
(sôft′pĕd′l, sŏft′-)tr.v. soft-ped·aled, soft-ped·al·ing, soft-ped·als or soft-ped·alled or soft-ped·al·ling
1. Music To soften or mute the tone of by depressing the soft pedal.
2. Informal To make less emphatic or obvious; play down: soft-pedal a potentially explosive issue.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
soft-pedal
vb (tr) , -als, -alling or -alled, -als, -aling or -aled
1. (Music, other) to mute the tone of (a piano) by depressing the soft pedal
2. informal to make (something, esp something unpleasant) less obvious by deliberately failing to emphasize or allude to it
n
(Instruments) a foot-operated lever on a piano, the left one of two, that either moves the whole action closer to the strings so that the hammers strike with less force or causes fewer of the strings to sound. Compare sustaining pedal, piano1
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
soft′ ped′al
n.
1. a pedal, as on a piano, for reducing tonal volume.
2. something that restrains or dampens.
[1915–20]
soft′-ped′al
v. -aled, -al•ing (esp. Brit.) -alled, -al•ling. v.i.
1. to use the soft pedal of a piano.
v.t. 2. to attempt to make less obvious, important, or objectionable; downplay.
[1915–20]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
soft-pedal
Past participle: soft-pedalled
Gerund: soft-pedalling
| Imperative |
|---|
| soft-pedal |
| soft-pedal |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Verb | 1. | soft-pedal - play down or obscure; "His advisers soft-pedaled the president's blunder" background, play down, downplay - understate the importance or quality of; "he played down his royal ancestry" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
soft-pedal
verbInformal. To make less emphatic or obvious:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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