Soft-pedal (Verb)
Meaning
Play down or obscure; "His advisers soft-pedaled the president's blunder".
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- The politician's team soft-pedaled the news of his financial scandal to avoid losing public support.
- Her boss soft-pedaled the poor sales figures, preferring to focus on the company's overall growth prospects.
- The government soft-pedaled the environmental impact of the new project to reassure the local community.
- The coach soft-pedaled the team's chances of winning the championship to reduce pressure on his players.
- During the debate, the candidate soft-pedaled her stance on the controversial issue to avoid alienating potential voters.