watered down
Weakened; diluted.
The play was a disappointing, watered down version of Shakespeare's Othello.
wear down
wear off
wear away
wear through
To remove or disappear little by little through use, time, or the action of weather.
Time and weather have worn off the name on the gravestone.
The eraser has worn off my pencil.
The grass has worn away from the path near the house.
If you drag your feet while you walk, you’ll wear down your shoes quickly.
The pounding of ocean waves against the coast gradually wears it away.
Johnny has worn through the seat of his pants.
To lessen; become less little by little.
The people went home as the excitement of the fire wore off.
John could feel the pain again as the dentist's medicine wore away.
My headache isn’t serious. It will wear off after an hour or so.
The effect of the painkilling drug didn’t wear off for several hours.
To exhaust; tire out, win over or persuade by making tired.
Mary wore her mother down by begging so that she let Mary go to the movies.
weigh down
weight down
To make heavy; cause to go down or bend with weight; overload. Often used with with or by.
The evergreens are weighed down by the deep snow.
There are so many children in the back seat that they are weighing down the back of the car.
To overload with care or worry; make sad or low in spirits. Usually used in the passive.
The family is weighed down by sorrow.
The company is weighed down by debt.
To make heavy, hard, or slow; make dull or uninteresting. Often in the passive used with by or with.
The book is weighted down with footnotes.
The TV program is weighed down by commercials.
when the chips are down
When the winner and loser of a bet or a game are decided; at the most important or dangerous time. (From the fact that in gambling games, a person puts chips or money down in front of him to show that he is willing to risk an amount in a bet.)
Tom hit a home run in the last inning of the game when the chips were down.
When the chips were down, the two countries decided not to have war.
win hands down
To win conclusively and without external help.
The opposition was so weak that Dan won the election hands down.