| Main Entry: | hem and haw |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | hesitate |
Synonyms: |
back and fill, beat around the bush, beg the question, dance around, equivocate, euphemize, fudge and mudge, hum and haw, mince words, shilly-shally, tapdance |
| Main Entry: | soft-pedal |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | play down |
Synonyms: |
blue-pencil, euphemize, hush-hush, mitigate, moderate, palliate, put on the soft pedal, shush, subdue, tone down |