soft-pedal

From soft pedal (“leftmost foot-pedal on most pianos which, when pushed, dampens the strings and so softens the note played”, noun).[1]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌsɒf(t)ˈpɛdl̩/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔf(t) ˌpɛdəl/, /ˈsɑf(t)-/
• Rhymes: (RP pronunciation) -ɛdəl
• Hyphenation: soft-ped‧al

soft-pedal (third-person singular simple present soft-pedals, present participle (UK) soft-pedalling or (US) soft-pedaling, simple past and past participle (UK) soft-pedalled or (US) soft-pedaled)

1. (transitive)
   1. To reduce the volume of (music, a sound, etc.).
   2. (figuratively) To reduce the force or impact of (something); to damp, to mute; especially, to minimize the less desirable aspects of (something); to play down, to tone down.

      Synonyms: de-emphasize, downplay

      Antonyms: emphasize, highlight, spotlight

      • 2008 August 27, Alessandra Stanley, “Obama team soft-pedals a milestone in history”, in The New York Times‎, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-31:

        But when the first female also-ran at a convention merits such hoopla and hosannas, then it is harder for viewers to understand why the Democrats seem intent on soft-pedaling their presumptive nominee's arguably more remarkable breakthrough.

   3. (figuratively) To attempt to persuade someone about (something) through understatement, so that the listener accepts the good points as obvious.

      Coordinate term: soft-sell

2. (intransitive, figuratively) Chiefly followed by on: to act in a less assertive or forceful manner.

• soft-pedalling (noun)