sweet-talk

See also: sweettalk and sweet talk

English

Alternative forms

• sweettalk, sweet talk

Verb

sweet-talk (third-person singular simple present sweet-talks, present participle sweet-talking, simple past and past participle sweet-talked)

1. (transitive, informal) To flatter.
2. (transitive, informal) To persuade using flattery.

   Synonyms: butter up, coax, canoodle, wheedle

   • 1954 November, Mari Wolf, “The Very Secret Agent”, in If‎^[1]:

     His grin faded a little. "How'd you do it? Sweet-talk one of the guards into letting you in at the head of the line?"

   • 2021, Piper Davenport, The Bride Pursued‎^[2], Sweet edition, Trixie Publishing, Inc.:

     “Oh, that he finagled. No fate involved. He saw you in the waiting area and sweet-talked the woman behind the counter to sit the two of you together.”

Noun

sweet-talk (plural sweet-talks)

1. (informal) A manner of talking to someone in a pleasing or funny way in order to persuade them to do or believe something.

Translations

a manner of talking

• Bengali: শিরীন জবান (śirin zôban), শিরীনজবান (śirinzôban)
• Dutch: paaien (nl)
• German: Schmeichelei (de) f, Süßholzraspeln n, Bezirzen n
• Maori: kupu whakamāeneene, whakapatipati

See also

• smooth talk