soft pedal

US /ˌsɑːftˈped.əl/
UK /ˌsɑːftˈped.əl/
"soft pedal" picture
1.

淡化, 轻描淡写

to treat or describe something as less important, serious, or urgent than it really is

:
The government tried to soft-pedal the economic crisis.
政府试图淡化经济危机。
She decided to soft-pedal her criticism to avoid conflict.
她决定淡化自己的批评,以避免冲突。