soften the ground
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The manager tried to soften the ground before announcing the layoffs
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Equivalents & related
Near equivalent
râu ông nọ cắm cằm bà kia
a square peg in a round hole
Tiếng Việt
Near equivalent
square peg in a round hole
Someone who does not fit in or is unsuited to a particular situation
English · via râu ông nọ cắm cằm bà kia
Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.
Common questions
What does “soften the ground” mean?
Prepare someone for bad news Literally: make the ground less hard
Is “soften the ground” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.
What is the closest equivalent?
“râu ông nọ cắm cằm bà kia” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.