soften up

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soften up (third-person singular simple present softens up, present participle softening up, simple past and past participle softened up)

1. To make softer.
2. (by extension, idiomatic) To appease someone in order to make them more receptive to an idea or proposal.
3. To become less committed to something.
   • 1994, J.A. Jance, Death of a Snowbird:

     That was what Agnes thought at two o'clock in the afternoon, but by evening she had softened up some.

• (to appease someone): to butter up