To ease or sooth someone's cough.
'Everyone knows this place is an obvious front,' I go. 'You're laundering the moo you stashed in Andorra.' That softens his cough.
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(idiomatic) To completely negate or undermine someone's argument or position on a topic.
'Ha! That's softened your cough. Now, we'll waste no more time out here gabbing,' and that leather, hobgoblin face became very, very businesslike.
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(idiomatic) To humble or humiliate; put someone in his place.
Let me fill you in on a few minor details that may soften your cough.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.