- soften something up
- soften something up†to take actions that will make something softer. •
Soften the butter up before you add it to the batter.
•Please soften up the ice cream before you try to serve it.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
soften something up
Look at other dictionaries:
soften something up — soften (someone/something) up to weaken someone or something. Constant bombing was designed to soften the enemy up and weaken him. The ads were just a way to soften up public opinion to accept a big price increase … New idioms dictionary
soften — [[t]sɒ̱f(ə)n, AM sɔ͟ːf [/t]] softens, softening, softened 1) V ERG If you soften something or if it softens, it becomes less hard, stiff, or firm. [V n] Soften the butter mixture in a small saucepan... Fry for about 4 minutes, until the onion has … English dictionary
soften up — 1. To lessen resistance in (informal) 2. To wear down by continuous shelling and bombing • • • Main Entry: ↑soft * * * ˌsoften ˈup [transitive] [present tense … Useful english dictionary
soften someone up — soften (someone/something) up to weaken someone or something. Constant bombing was designed to soften the enemy up and weaken him. The ads were just a way to soften up public opinion to accept a big price increase … New idioms dictionary
soften up — soften (someone/something) up to weaken someone or something. Constant bombing was designed to soften the enemy up and weaken him. The ads were just a way to soften up public opinion to accept a big price increase … New idioms dictionary
soften the blow — soften the blow/impact/effect/ phrase to make something unpleasant seem less severe He tried to soften the blow by telling her himself. Thesaurus: to reduce, or to remove the bad effects of somethingsynonym Main entry … Useful english dictionary
soften — UK US /ˈsɒfən/ verb ► [I] FINANCE, STOCK MARKET if demand, a price, a market, etc. softens, it stops increasing or it goes down: »Share prices softened with continued worries about the country s economic recovery. »Although demand softened again… … Financial and business terms
soften the impact — soften the blow/impact/effect/ phrase to make something unpleasant seem less severe He tried to soften the blow by telling her himself. Thesaurus: to reduce, or to remove the bad effects of somethingsynonym Main entry … Useful english dictionary
soften the effect — soften the blow/impact/effect/ phrase to make something unpleasant seem less severe He tried to soften the blow by telling her himself. Thesaurus: to reduce, or to remove the bad effects of somethingsynonym Main entry … Useful english dictionary
soften the blow — soften/cushion the blow ► to make the bad effects of something seem to be not as bad as they could have been: »If things go wrong there are no mechanisms to soften the blow. Main Entry: ↑blow … Financial and business terms
soften/cushion the blow — ► to make the bad effects of something seem to be not as bad as they could have been: »If things go wrong there are no mechanisms to soften the blow. Main Entry: ↑blow … Financial and business terms
