verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
reduce/lessen/soften the impact of sth (= make it less severe or unpleasant )
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The chemical industry is looking at ways to reduce its impact on the environment.
soften butter
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First soften the butter in a warm place.
soften/cushion the blow (= make it easier to deal with )
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There are various ways to soften the blow of redundancy among staff.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
up
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He was being put in his place, softened up for what was to come.
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I told him we were softening up a bit.
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Now the unions are softening up their hard hats.
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Hick was softened up with alarming ease by Merv Hughes.
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However outré, each item emerges looking chewed over and softened up by the editorial enzymes.
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She'd have to be patient until lunchtime, then soften up Penry Vaughan with a snack before she made her request.
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Use your own artillery to soften up the enemy units that you wish to attack.
■ NOUN
attitude
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The Labour Party showed some signs of softening in its attitude to the supporters of the new form of Unity.
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But the realisation that the refugee community was not riddled with spies and fifth columnists helped to soften official attitudes .
blow
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Help, or soften the blow .?
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There was no warning, no softening of the blow .
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Or will motherhood soften the blow ?
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Try starting with a pat on the back to soften the blow of criticism.
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The Chancellor's flexibility to reduce interest rates much further, to soften the blow of tax increases, looks limited.
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Factories had closed, and thousands were out of work, without unemployment insurance to soften the blow .
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But you can soften the blow by telling his Dad that none of the other dads can do it either.
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Letting some one resign is a way to soften the blow .
butter
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I gave her a jar of home-made skin cream containing almond oil, cocoa butter and rosewater to soften her skin.
edge
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There are no curtains to soften its edges and the pelmet is propped up by the bookcase.
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Dole repeatedly used humor to soften the edges of his attacks.
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The huge moons brims, begins to soften round its edges .
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This softens the edges and enhances the informal look.
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Try softening the edges a bit by having the king merely banish the brothers to live in the enchanted forest.
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And perhaps in the minds of many, the memories of their tragic stay in Oxford were slowly softening at the edges .
face
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It is often startling how people's faces soften and their bodies relax after crying.
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Then his face softened a little, and became almost friendly; he seemed to be coming back to us.
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The worried look on Jannie's face softened .
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One could not say her face softened , for softness was not in her repertoire of expressions.
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The square, severe face had softened , although the ill-shaved chin still looked like granite.
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His face softened , his pupils grew bigger, and his irises went deep green like olive oil.
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Now is the time to experiment with softer hairstyles, and find new shapes to frame the face and soften features.
image
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Nothing written above explains him away or softens his image .
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Her answer was to soften her hard-edge image by falling back on the feminine basics.
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Gramm lately has attempted to soften his image , holding a series of intimate discussions with undecided voters in their kitchens.
impact
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The latter news softens the impact of the former up to a point.
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The leader acts with greater sensitivity to soften the impact of downward power.
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He argued that £2.3 billion is needed to soften the impact of the new tax next Spring.
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Deaver began suggesting ways to soften the impact by adding new events to the itinerary that might placate the opposition.
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The extra cash, however, will only partly soften the impact of the introduction of the poll tax next year.
stance
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Eventually, he softens his stance , even giving his students $ 5 each time they answer a question correctly.
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He called on the senator to soften her get-tough stance on immigrants living in the United States.
water
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The secret of successful shaving is to soften the skin with water and soap, or a shaving preparation.
■ VERB
help
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Jennie told Katharine to ask and then give, which would help soften him - and it did.
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Increasing the amount of roughage and fibre in the child's diet will also help to soften the stools.
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Elian has also helped the softening process along.
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This should help to soften them, but they won't be as easy to roll up.
seem
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Though his words were brutal, his tone seemed to have softened .
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He wears sunglasses that have a fading in-built, pinky-orange tint which seem to soften the wrinkles around the eyes.
try
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But Chancellor Norman Lamont may try to soften the blow with a cut in interest rates.
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So manufacturers try to soften it.
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She had tried to soften the effect of long sleeves and a high round neck with a pair of pearl stud earrings.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
soften/cushion the blow
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Some of the money will be used to soften the blow of budget cuts to education.
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Additionally, two presidential decrees on March 23 had been designed to cushion the blow of the price rises.
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Even where price increases have taken place, retailers with good stocks may be able to cushion the blow for a while.
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Factories had closed, and thousands were out of work, without unemployment insurance to soften the blow .
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Help, or soften the blow .?
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Letting some one resign is a way to soften the blow .
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To cushion the blow , wages and pensions were increased.
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Try starting with a pat on the back to soften the blow of criticism.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Choose a good moisturizer to soften and protect your skin.
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It's a disease that softens and then destroys the bones.
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Lawmakers have softened their stance on immigration in recent months.
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Leave the butter at room temperature to soften .
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Republicans agreed to soften their projected cuts in welfare spending.
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Soak the raisins in warm water till they soften .
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The government seems to have softened its attitude towards single parents.
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The inspector looked angry but then softened when he saw the boy's frightened expression.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 1 minute.
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He would not soften his uncompromising terms.
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The ice must be softening, and the ice fishing is close to the end.
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The weather was perfect all the while we were there, the evenings very lovely, moonlight softened by fog.
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Then you can soften the geometric shapes a bit.
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This is why the method is often applied to soften and diffuse distant objects or hills, as in atmospheric perspective.
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Use the brush to soften the outline, then pencil over lips before applying lipstick.