Link Centre Dictionary

soft pedal

soft·pe·dal

UK/ˌsɒf(t)ˈpɛdl̩/ US/ˈsɔf(t)ˌpɛdəl/ uncommon
noun (1) verb (1)

noun

1.

a pedal on a piano that moves the action closer to the strings and so soften the sound

Synonyms

verb

1.

play down or obscure

  • “His advisers soft-pedaled the president”

Origin

From soft pedal (“leftmost foot-pedal on most pianos which, when pushed, dampens the strings and so softens the note played”, noun).

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.