smooth over (third-person singular simple present smooths over, present participle smoothing over, simple past and past participle smoothed over)

1. (transitive) To make (a rough surface) smooth
2. (transitive) To pacify (e.g. rumours)
   • 1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC ↗:

     Then, as usual, the sheep broke into "Four legs good, two legs bad!" and the momentary awkwardness was smoothed over.