blunted

If there is any comfort for hapless or gaffe-prone candidates, it is that early voting has somewhat blunted the impact of truly terrible debate performances that occur later in election season.

Neither of the Yorkshiremen were troubled as they blunted any possibility of the early wickets that would have got West Indies back in the game.

But the endorphin rush of a great trail can be blunted by the high-pitched buzz of a mosquito hovering around your neck, trying to score some lunch.

Even being barred from this election as a candidate for Parliament over a recent conviction hasn’t blunted Zuma’s influence.

In the village of Lyptsi, Ukrainian forces appear to have blunted Russia’s surprise offensive.