smooth over

smooth over (third-person singular simple present smooths over, present participle smoothing over, simple past and past participle smoothed over)

1. (transitive) To make (a rough surface) smooth
2. (transitive) to pacify (e.g. rumours)
   • 1945 August 17, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter 6, in Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, →OCLC:

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

• oversmooth