back-pedal

back-pedal ▶verb [ no obj. ] 1 reverse one's previous action or opinion: Boyd quickly back-pedalled when asked to explain her suggestion. • move hastily backwards: Cook forced the goalkeeper to back-pedal and push a shot over the bar. 2 move the pedals of a bicycle backwards (formerly to brake ).

back-pedal

back-pedal verb 1 although agreeing at first to the peace plan, they soon began to back-pedal: change one's mind, change one's opinion, go into reverse, do an about-face, do a U-turn, shift one's ground, sing a different song, have second thoughts, reconsider, climb down; Brit. do an about-turn. 2 the president back-pedalled on his promises to tax foreign companies heavily: renege on, back down on, go back on, back out of, fail to honour, withdraw, backtrack on, take back, abandon, default on.