For weapons producers, the chance to recycle old arms will not greatly soften the blow of a sharp decline in military orders.

The gain in orders in April was slightly larger than expected, said Joel L. Naroff of the First Union Bank in Philadelphia, "but there was nothing in the report to suggest that the economy is either further accelerating or softening greatly."

This had the disadvantage of greatly softening the boot, allowing it to wear out much more quickly.

Many state officials said they also preferred that comparison, which greatly softens the discrepancies.

This approach is derided by the same horde of military experts who said that Iraq would never be conquered by air, as if such a pounding did not greatly soften the resistance of Saddam's forces.

On the most difficult question, officials said they expected guerrilla leaders to drop, or at least greatly soften, demands that former rebels be given command of new police forces in areas their armies control.

Lime softening greatly expanded in use during the early 1900s as industrial water use expanded.

Defying conventional wisdom, Mr. Greenspan's policies of rock-bottom interest rates greatly softened the economic downturn of 2001 and a succession of economic shocks since.

The movie greatly softens the cynical edge of the original book, and the story is once more given a happy ending-the woman's husband is talked out of shooting Miss Lonelyhearts, who finds happiness with his true love, and Shrike is considerably nicer at film's end.