soft-pedal
- v play down or obscure
His advisers soft-pedaled the president's blunder
- Their militant chatter reached such a pitch last week that War Minister General Senjuro Hayashi was moved to step in and soft-pedal it.
- But the newest version of candidate McCain does not dillydally, soft-pedal or claim to live outside politics-as-usual.
- THE PRESIDENCY Unlike Franklin Roosevelt, who liked to needle Republicans with provocative statements during their conventions, Harry Truman soft-pedaled politics last.