smooth over

present singular third person smooths over · participle present smoothing over · participle past smoothed over · past smoothed over

1. transitiveTo make (a rough surface) smooth
2. transitiveTo pacify (e.g. rumours)

   Then, as usual, the sheep broke into "Four legs good, two legs bad!" and the momentary awkwardness was smoothed over.

   1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC

   1 more example

   A revolution would allow people to be who they really are: controlling their own appearance, work sexuality; their own lives. A revolution means consciously confronting the bigotry that divides us—not smoothing it over and hoping it will go away.

   1982 August 14, Ian Daniels, “Nazis In Chicago”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 5, page 5