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soft pedal
1noun
- Also called una corda pedal. a pedal, as on a piano, for reducing tonal volume.
- Informal. something that restrains or dampens:
to put a soft pedal on one's enthusiasm.
soft-pedal
2[ sawft-ped-l, soft- ]
verb (used without object)
- to use the soft pedal.
verb (used with object)
- to soften the sound of by using the soft pedal.
- Informal. to tone or play down; make less strong, as an idea or fact:
The dean soft-pedaled the reports of cheating.
soft-pedal
verb
- to mute the tone of (a piano) by depressing the soft pedal
- informal.to make (something, esp something unpleasant) less obvious by deliberately failing to emphasize or allude to it
noun
- a foot-operated lever on a piano, the left one of two, that either moves the whole action closer to the strings so that the hammers strike with less force or causes fewer of the strings to sound Compare sustaining pedal piano 1
亚洲网紅露点 History and Origins
Origin of soft pedal1
Origin of soft pedal2
Idioms and Phrases
Something that de-emphasizes, restrains, or plays down, as in The mayor put a soft pedal on this potentially explosive situation . This expression alludes to the una corda or soft pedal of the piano, which reduces the volume of the sound. It gave rise to the verb soft-pedal , meaning both 鈥渞educe the volume of鈥 or 鈥渕ake less emphatic, downplay.鈥 [Early 1900s]Example Sentences
鈥淔or local politicians, it鈥檚 a pretty easy call when 60, 70, 80% of their county voted 鈥榥o鈥 on the issue, to soft pedal it and not treat it like a serious crime,鈥 he said.
The Republicans needed to employ "hard-hitting kind of spots with a man's voice, no soft pedal" that would tar Democrats as the party that would tax working people, according to a story in Politico.
His 1988 album for Eno鈥檚 Opal Records, 鈥淭he White Arcades,鈥 was powered by Budd鈥檚 鈥渟oft pedal鈥 piano technique, which employed one of the instrument鈥檚 foot pedals to 鈥渟often鈥 the notes while subtly changing their tones.
鈥淭hey were like, 鈥楧on鈥檛 just soft pedal this.
I thought that later I might also play the piano, something quiet, using the soft pedal.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from 亚洲网紅露点 Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 漏 Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage庐 Idioms Dictionary copyright 漏 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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