soft pedal something
soft-pedal (something)
To dampen, diminish, or downplay the importance or impact of something. An allusion to the dampening effects of a piano's soft pedal. You really need to soft-pedal your rhetoric if you want to win over enough mainstream voters to get re-elected. The university has been soft-pedaling its association with the controversial activist in recent months.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
soft pedal something
tv. to play something down; to de-emphasize something. (Refers to the soft pedal on the piano.) Try to soft pedal the problems we have with the cooling system.
See also: pedal, soft, something
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
- soft-pedal
- strike out at (something or some place)
- hit (something) out of the (ball)park
- be at it hammer and tongs
- go at it hammer and tongs
- go at it tooth and nail
- hammer and tongs
- hammer and tongs, go at it
- beat (one) to the draw
- a mess of pottage