soft-pedalling

Like the trustees, stewards and owners of Britain's other stately homes, the Carnarvons had got used to the idea of soft-pedalling their class and privilege in favour of a workmanlike attitude to custodianship that blurred the distinctions.

Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph Elizabeth Grice 2011

Some rights groups have accused Britain of soft-pedalling on sensitive political issues to avoid harming its trade prospects.

David Cameron vows to raise human rights issues 'without hectoring' China Patrick Wintour in Beijing 2010

Yeah, I think they've been soft-pedalling this long enough.

Pelosi Says The Dem Primary Is Over, Declares Obama The "Nominee" 2009

That the top two leaders are willing to engage with the tribal elders, some of whom may be harbouring the militants who in turn are accused of staging attacks on Afghan and Nato forces across the Durand Line, should not be seen as soft-pedalling the issue.

War On Terror: For Whom We are Fighting? 2008

All I did was grump at Glenn Reynolds for soft-pedalling his plagiarism, a position I thought was not good for a professor to hold.

Archive 2005-08-01 Richard Nokes 2005

I call it soft-pedalling and doing it breaches the trust with the license fee payer.

Ruth Turner Arrest - BBC Response Praguetory 2007

I call it soft-pedalling and doing it breaches the trust with the license fee payer.

Archive 2007-01-01 Praguetory 2007

All I did was grump at Glenn Reynolds for soft-pedalling his plagiarism, a position I thought was not good for a professor to hold.

Yikes! Biden'll hate me! Richard Nokes 2005

Given that it is two papers out of a single edition of nature which are “in question”, I can see why this paper is soft-pedalling furiously.

The Hwang Affair: A Chronology « Climate Audit 2005

And then they came back said no, they resigned on principle, concerned about the commission's soft-pedalling the reports involving Kofi Annan's relationship with his son, Kojo, and Kojo's relationship with Cotecna firm that got a big contract from the U.N. The bottom line is, you now have a pall cast over the investigation.

CNN Transcript May 3, 2005 2005