blandish

American  

[blan-dish] / ˈblæn dɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to coax or influence by gentle flattery; cajole.

   They blandished the guard into letting them through the gate.

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verb (used without object)

1. to use flattery or cajolery.

blandish British  

/ ˈblændɪʃ /

verb

1. (tr) to seek to persuade or influence by mild flattery; coax

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Other Word Forms

• blandisher noun
• blandishingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of blandish

1350–1400; Middle English blandisshen < Anglo-French, Middle French blandiss-, long stem of blandir < Latin blandīrī to soothe, flatter. See bland, -ish ²

Example Sentences

At 71Above, his cooking has taken a slightly more luxurious turn — foie gras terrine, truffled steak tartare with tapenade, blandish roast chicken with foie gras, truffles and mushrooms stuffed under the skin.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2017

Others see it as a blandish “Star Wars” knockoff that’s not nearly as endearing as “The Princess Bride,” which came out a year earlier.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 28, 2016

Both the original and final titles arguably have the blandish ring of something featuring James Bond, who had already laid claim to “Die Another Day,” which would have been very fitting.

From New York Times • Aug. 15, 2014

But last week, with Red armies overrunning Rumania, Bulgaria and entering Hungary, more Russians than ever before were face to face with the blandish ments of the other, world.

From Time Magazine Archive

His guileless forerunners,    Whose brains I could blandish, To measure the deeps of my mysteries    Applied them in vain.

From Poems of the Past and the Present by Hardy, Thomas