The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word SOFT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
O
F
T
More clues leading to the result SOFT
- Play down what's frequently pinched by lapsed criminal
- Liberal very pink paper
- Drunk drinking fine without alcohol
- … therefore organ’s flaccid
- Thus what you are reading may be politically moderate
- Yielding just like that, this organ
- Fling tadpoles out, reducing stress
- Sentimental affection, mostly on what we know is low-key
- Shift end of couch for tenor to get to piano
- ‘Mellow Yellow‘?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Play down" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case play down = soft.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SOFT mean?
SOFT noun- A soft or foolish person; an idiot.
- Ellipsis of soft tyre (A tyre whose compound is softer than mediums, and harder than supersofts.)
- A soft sound or part of a sound.
- Easily giving way under pressure.
- (of cloth or similar material) Smooth and flexible; not rough, rugged, or harsh.
- (of a sound) Quiet.
- Gentle.
- Expressing gentleness or tenderness; mild; conciliatory; courteous; kind.
- Gentle in action or motion; easy.
- Weak in character; impressible.
- Requiring little or no effort; easy.
- Not bright or intense.
- Having a slight angle from straight.
- Voiced; sonant.
- Voiceless
- (Slavic languages) palatalized
- Lacking strength or resolve; not tough, wimpy.
- (of water) Low in dissolved calcium compounds.
- Foolish.
- Of a ferromagnetic material; a material that becomes essentially non-magnetic when an external magnetic field is removed, a material with a low magnetic coercivity. (compare hard)
- (of a person) Physically or emotionally weak.
- Incomplete, or temporary; not a full action.
- (of a man) Effeminate.
- Agreeable to the senses.
- Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring or jagged; pleasing to the eye.
- (of light) Made up of nonparallel rays, tending to wrap around a subject and produce diffuse shadows.
- Emulated with software; not physically real.
- Softly; without roughness or harshness; gently; quietly.
- Be quiet; hold; stop; not so fast.