what does soft pedal mean?

SOFT PEDAL as NOUN

Meaning
- a pedal on a piano that moves the action closer to the strings and so soften the sound
Hypernyms(s) soft pedal is a kind of… Example: animal is a hypernym of mammal, plant is a hypernym of flower
- pedal (what does pedal mean?)
- treadle (what does treadle mean?)
- foot pedal (what does foot pedal mean?)
- foot lever (what does foot lever mean?)

WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

what does soft-pedal mean?

SOFT-PEDAL as VERB

Meaning
- play down or obscure
Usage Example(s)
- His advisers soft-pedaled the president’’s blunder
Hypernyms(s) soft-pedal is a kind of… Example: animal is a hypernym of mammal, plant is a hypernym of flower
- background (what does background mean?)
- play down (what does play down mean?)
- downplay (what does downplay mean?)

WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.