WATER DOWN

 Something that is watered down is diluted with water. This phrase is used idiomatically to describe something that is made weaker with respect to its content, force or value.

 Examples:


 “Large retailers have been accused of trying to water down a proposed scheme to improve rates of bottle recycling.”

 “Ministers have been warned not to water down animal protection laws after Brexit, as a poll found eight in 10 people believed they should be maintained or strengthened when Britain leaves the European Union (EU).”

 “The speech will also seek to convince his European counterparts, who have watered down many of his Sorbonne proposals since 2017, to start thinking of the EU as a tougher geopolitical player in a ruthless world.”


 This idiom is believed to date from the 1800s [1].


 [1] “water down” in The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, by Christine Ammer. 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, 2013.

 Photo credit: Kristie