sweet talk

¹ American  

noun

Informal.

1. cajolery; soft soap.

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sweet-talk ² American  

[sweet-tawk] / ˈswitˌtɔk /

verb (used without object)

1. to use cajoling words.

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verb (used with object)

1. to use cajoling words on in order to persuade; soft-soap.

   They tried to sweet-talk the boss into giving them raises.

sweet-talk British  

verb

1. to coax, flatter, or cajole (someone)

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noun

1. cajolery; coaxing

sweet talk Idioms  

1. Flattery, cajolery, as in She uses sweet talk to get her way. [First half of 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of sweet talk¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Origin of sweet-talk²

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

We jump from screaming to sweet talk, and from current subplot to the far past to a few days ago.

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2023

Realtor Liz Jones said some agents continue to encourage the practice, putting buyers in a tough position if they’d rather leave out the sweet talk.

From Seattle Times • May 12, 2022

“We need the White House, and we need the ones on the front line not to be affected by sweet talk, particularly from the Europeans,” Mr. Goncalves said.

From New York Times • Oct. 1, 2021

Well, I know how to sweet talk a Taurus.

From Slate • Dec. 29, 2020

Still, it wasn’t all sweet talk with her.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett