softly softly

See also: softly, softly and softly-softly

English

WOTD – 6 May 2012, 6 May 2013, 6 May 2014, 6 May 2015

Alternative forms

Etymology

Reduplication of softly. Likely an allusion to softly, softly, catchee monkey or a similar phrase.[1]

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Adjective

softly softly (not comparable)

  1. (UK, often hyphenated) Discreet, low-key, careful.
    • 2003, Annette Jünemann, Euro-Mediterranean relations after September 11, →ISBN:
      Second, this lack of divergence is also the outcome of the EU's softly-softly approach to human rights and democracy in Morocco.

Synonyms

Translations

Adverb

softly softly (not comparable)

  1. (UK) In a very tactful, careful, or nondisruptive manner.
    • 2006 April 28, “Royal heads Betfred field”, in RTE Sport, Ireland, retrieved 22 June 2009:
      We couldn't get him back into training before Christmas time because he picked up an injury at the Cheltenham Festival last year and we had to go softly softly.

Synonyms

Translations

References

  1. ^ “softly, adv.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2016.
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