Definition of Soft-pedal

1. Verb. Play down or obscure. "His advisers soft-pedaled the president's blunder"

Generic synonyms: Background, Downplay, Play Down

Definition of Soft-pedal

1. Verb. Attempting to persuade without being obvious about it, by understating a position so the listener takes the good points as obvious. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Soft-pedal

soft
soft-boiled
soft-cast steel
soft-coated wheaten terrier
soft-core
soft-cover
soft-cover book
soft-finned
soft-finned fish
soft-footed
soft-handed
soft-headed
soft-hearted
soft-key
soft-nosed
soft-pedal (current term)
soft-pedaled
soft-pedaling
soft-pedalled
soft-pedalling
soft-pedals
soft-shell clam
soft-shell crab
soft-shell turtle
soft-shell turtles
soft-shelled
soft-shelled crab
soft-shelled turtle
soft-shoe
soft-shoe dancing

Literary usage of Soft-pedal

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Elson's Music Dictionary: Containing the Definition and Pronunciation of by Louis Charles Elson (1905)
"The pedal at the left hand is called the soft pedal. It is to decrease the tone of the strings. The majority of the notes on a modern piano have three ..."

2. Elson's Music Dictionary: Containing the Definition and Pronunciation of by Louis Charles Elson (1905)
"The soft-pedal mechanism on the majority of upright pianos simply brings the ... On the old square pianos the soft pedal placed a piece of felt between the ..."

3. Elson's Music Dictionary: Containing the Definition and Pronunciation of by Louis Charles Elson (1905)
"The pedal at the left hand is called the soft pedal. It is to decrease the tone of the strings. The majority of the notes on a modern piano have three ..."

4. University Musical Encyclopedia by Louis Charles Elson (1914)
"The soft pedal may be called for by the use of the words una corda, ... The soft pedal moved the hammers off one of each pair, and allowed each hammer to ..."

5. University Musical Encyclopedia by Louis Charles Elson (1914)
"The soft pedal may be called for by the use of the words una corda, ... The soft pedal moved the hammers off one of each pair, and allowed each hammer to ..."

6. Dwight's Journal of Music: A Paper of Art and Literature by John Sullivan Dwight (1877)
"Even they use the soft pedal toe much and too often, and at unsuitable places ... I prefer that the soft pedal should be used but seldom, and, ..."

7. Waiting in the Wilderness by Enos Abijah Mills (1921)
"CHAPTER VII THE LION PLAYS SOFT PEDAL AT TIMBERLINE on Specimen Moun- A\ tain I came upon the fresh tracks of a •*• •"• mountain lion. ..."

8. Waiting in the Wilderness by Enos Abijah Mills (1921)
"CHAPTER VII THE LION PLAYS SOFT PEDAL A^ TIMBERLINE on Specimen Mountain I came upon the fresh tracks of a mountain lion. He had climbed a corner of the ..."

Other Resources:

Search for Soft-pedal on Dictionary.com!Search for Soft-pedal on Thesaurus.com!Search for Soft-pedal on Google!Search for Soft-pedal on Wikipedia!

Search