soften up
Also found in: Idioms.
Related to soften up: draw
soften up
vb (adverb)
1. to make or become soft
2. (Military) (tr) to weaken (an enemy's defences) by shelling, bombing, etc
3. (tr) to weaken the resistance of (a person) by persuasive talk, advances, etc
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
Translations
w>soften up
vt sep
(fig) person, opposition → milde stimmen; (by flattery etc) → schmeicheln (+dat); customer → kaufwillig stimmen; (by bullying) → einschüchtern, weichmachen; enemy, resistance → zermürben; enemy position → schwächen; prisoner → weichmachen
vi (material) → weich werden; (person, attitude) → nachgiebiger werden; to soften up on somebody → jdm gegenüber nachgiebig or schwach werden
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007