1.   But you can soften the blow by telling his Dad that none of the other dads can do it either.

2.   Factories had closed, and thousands were out of work, without unemployment insurance to soften the blow.

3.   Letting some one resign is a way to soften the blow.

4.   Or will motherhood soften the blow?

5.   Some of the money will be used to soften the blow of budget cuts to education.

6.   The blow would be softened slightly for those affected by substantial compensation on a pro-rata and sliding scale basis.

7.   There are various ways to soften the blow of redundancy among staff.

8.   Try starting with a pat on the back to soften the blow of criticism.

9.   A reduction in interest rates would soften the blow of tax increases.