Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun soft_pedal

1 sense of soft pedal

Sense 1
soft pedal -- (a pedal on a piano that moves the action closer to the strings and so soften the sound)
       => pedal, treadle, foot pedal, foot lever -- (a lever that is operated with the foot)

Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb soft_pedal

1 sense of soft-pedal

Sense 1
soft-pedal -- (play down or obscure; "His advisers soft-pedaled the president's blunder")
       => background, play down, downplay -- (understate the importance or quality of; "he played down his royal ancestry")