Butter someone up

[1004] Sweet talk

🎲 Lay it on thick
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • To talk to someone in a very pleasant, charming, persuasive, or flattering way, typically to get them to agree to something, do a favor, or feel positively towards the speaker.
  • Often implies a degree of calculation or insincerity, but can sometimes be affectionate.

Origin

  • Sweet refers to the pleasing, agreeable quality of the words, like honey or sugar.
  • Talk is simply speech.
  • The combination implies using pleasant speech for persuasive purposes. Common since at least the mid-20th century.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • Coax
  • Cajole
  • Flatter
  • Charm
  • Butter someone up (Focuses more on praise)
  • Soft-soap (Gentle persuasion/flattery)
  • Wheedle (Persuade through persistent, gentle flattery or requests)
  • Blarney (Irish origin; skillful, charming, often deceptive flattery)
  • Smooth talk (Similar, perhaps implies more skill/slickness)

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • Lay it on thick (Exaggerated charm/flattery)
  • Schmooze (Mingling with charm, often for networking/gain)
  • Work your charm / Turn on the charm
  • Smooth talk (Suggests skill and possibly deception)
  • Get around someone (Persuade someone, often through charm or cleverness)

Milder/Standard:

  • Cajole
  • Coax
  • Persuade with charm
  • Flatter
  • Ingratiate (Formal)

Situational Appropriateness

  • Informal. Referring to communication as sweet talk is casual.
  • The act itself can occur in various settings, but labeling it implies awareness of the persuasive (and possibly insincere) intent.
  • Accusing someone directly (Stop sweet-talking me) is confrontational.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • Learners might miss the common implication of insincerity or ulterior motive. It's not just 'talking nicely'; it usually serves a persuasive purpose.

Examples

  • He managed to sweet talk the guard into letting him backstage.
  • Don't try to sweet talk me; I know you broke the vase.
  • She can sweet talk her way out of almost any trouble.

Dialogue

Teenager: Hey Mom, you look amazing today! Have you done something different with your hair? And dinner was delicious, seriously, best cook ever!

Mom: (Smiling knowingly) Alright, spill it. What do you want? All this sweet talk means you're after something.

Teenager: Well... could I maybe borrow the car on Friday night?

Social Media Examples

  • Tweet: My dog knows exactly how to sweet talk me into giving him table scraps with those puppy eyes. It's a superpower. #DogLife #SweetTalk
  • Facebook Status: Heard my partner on the phone trying to sweet talk customer service about our bill. Good luck to them! 😂
  • Reddit Comment: Sales 101: Master the art of the sweet talk without sounding fake.

Response Patterns

If recognized:

  • Nice try, but the answer is still no.
  • Okay, okay, what do you want? (Acknowledging the tactic)
  • Are you trying to sweet talk me? (Directly calling it out)
  • Sometimes, the person might be charmed and agree: Oh, alright then!

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

  • The person being sweet-talked might become wary and ask for the speaker's true motive or request.
  • The speaker might continue the charming approach or state their request more directly if the tactic isn't working.
  • If successful, the sweet-talker gets what they wanted.

Conversation Starter

  • No. Describes a method of communication.

Intonation

  • Emphasis usually on SWEET TALK.
  • Don't try to SWEET TALK me. (Said with skepticism or firmness)
  • He's a master of SWEET TALK. (Said with admiration or cynicism)

Generation Differences

  • Widely understood and used across generations.

Regional Variations

  • Common in all major English-speaking regions.
Butter someone up
🎲 Lay it on thick