take the edge off

Idioms  

1. Ease or assuage, make less severe, as in That snack took the edge off our hunger, or Her kind manner took the edge off her refusal. This term alludes to blunting the edge of a cutting instrument. Shakespeare used it figuratively in The Tempest (4:1): “To take away the edge of that day's celebration.” The precise wording of the idiom dates from the first half of the 1900s.

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Example Sentences

Stellantis tries to take the edge off for workers hoofing it from outer perimeter lots, shuttling them in from some locations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

A decline in inflation expectations tends to be associated with the possibility of a weaker economy, which would theoretically take the edge off price pressures.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 17, 2025

“If he got in trouble, he’d start telling stories about Ginger Rogers or Bob Hope to take the edge off things. Other candidates have no way to match that skill.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2023

The textures should be a combination of crunchy and velvety; the flavor, sharp and tangy, with just enough sugar to take the edge off the citrus.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 18, 2023

“Not funny,” said Constance, but the joke did take the edge off her fury, and she said no more.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

Related Words

• abate
• curtail
• decrease
• dilute
• diminish
• dwindle
• ease
• erode
• impair
• lighten
• minimize
• mitigate
• narrow
• shrink
• slacken
• weaken