dumb down

dumb down
   to make simpler
   The phrase refers to public examinations, which retain the former names and grades but are set or marked so that a greater proportion of examinees appears to pass or do well; or to broadcasting, where effort is being made to attract a less cerebral audience:
    Under New Labour, this dumbing down will not affect children's ability to go on to higher education. {Daily Telegraph, 16 February 1998)

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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  • dumb down — phrasal verb [intransitive/transitive] Word forms dumb down : present tense I/you/we/they dumb down he/she/it dumbs down present participle dumbing down past tense dumbed down past participle dumbed down to make something simpler and easier to… …   English dictionary

  • dumb down — PHRASAL VERB If you dumb down something, you make it easier for people to understand, especially when this spoils it. [V P n] This sounded like a case for dumbing down the magazine, which no one favored. [Also V n P, V] Derived words: dumbing… …   English dictionary

  • dumb down — verb a) To convey some subject matter in simple terms, avoiding technical or academic language, especially in a way that is considered condescending. The public wont understand this concept. We need to dumb down our explanation of it. b) To… …   Wiktionary

  • Dumb down — 1. act dumber than one is: She deliberately dumbed down because she didn t want to seem a smart arse ; 2. amend for a less intellectual audience: to dumb down a speech ; 3. make (a country) less intellectual by discouraging intellectualism,… …   Dictionary of Australian slang

  • dumb down — Australian Slang 1. act dumber than one is: She deliberately dumbed down because she didn t want to seem a smart arse ; 2. amend for a less intellectual audience: to dumb down a speech ; 3. make (a country) less intellectual by discouraging… …   English dialects glossary

  • dumb down — transitive verb Date: 1933 to lower the level of difficulty and the intellectual content of (as a textbook); also to lower the general level of intelligence in < the dumbing down of society > …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • dumb something down or dumb down — informal make or become less intellectually challenging. → dumb …   English new terms dictionary

  • dumb down — v. (Slang) simplify complex information to make it more easily understandable, lower the intellectual level of something (such as a book) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • dumb down — transitive verb : to lower the level of difficulty and the intellectual content of (as a textbook) …   Useful english dictionary

  • dumb´ness — dumb «duhm», adjective, verb. –adj. 1. not able to speak: »dumb animals. Helen Keller learned to speak; she was blind and deaf but not dumb. 2. silenced for the moment by fear, surprise, shyness, or other emotion: »She was struck dumb with… …   Useful english dictionary

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