Definition

Verb: - To coax, persuade, or win someone over by using sweet words, flattery, or pleasing promises, often to get them to do something or to calm them down. The action involves using a gentle, charming, or哄骗的 manner.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Mẹ thường dỗ ngọt em bé bằng kẹo để nó nín khóc. (Mother often coaxes the baby with candy to stop it from crying.)
  • Anh ấy dỗ ngọt cô ấy bằng những lời hứa hẹn đẹp đẽ. (He wheedled her with beautiful promises.)
  • Đừng để bị dỗ ngọt bởi những lời đường mật. (Don't be beguiled by honeyed words.)

Advanced Usage

• "dỗ ngọt cho bằng được": to coax relentlessly until successful.
  • Cô ấy dỗ ngọt cho bằng được để bố mua cho chiếc xe mới. (She coaxed relentlessly until her father bought her the new car.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dỗ dành (verb): to soothe, to comfort, to pacify. This is a close synonym but can be more general, not necessarily involving "sweet" promises.
• Nịnh ngọt (verb): to flatter sweetly, to butter someone up. This emphasizes the flattery aspect more strongly.
• Dụ dỗ (verb): to entice, to lure. This often has a stronger, sometimes negative connotation of temptation or seduction.

Synonyms

• Coax: to persuade gently and patiently.
• Wheedle: to use flattery or sweet talk to persuade someone.
• Cajole: to persuade someone to do something by sustained coaxing or flattery.
• Beguile: to charm or enchant someone, sometimes in a deceptive way.
• Sweet-talk (verb, informal): to persuade using flattery.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As a Vietnamese verb, 'dỗ ngọt' does not have phrasal verbs in the English sense. The concept is contained within the single verb.

Related Idioms

• Đường mật nói ngọt: (lit. honeyed words speak sweetly) Refers to speaking in a very flattering, ingratiating manner.
  • Anh ta chỉ biết đường mật nói ngọt để lấy lòng sếp. (He only knows how to use honeyed words to curry favor with the boss.)
• Mật ngọt chết ruồi: (lit. sweet honey kills flies) A proverb meaning that sweet/flattering words can be dangerously deceptive.
  • Cẩn thận với lời khen của hắn, mật ngọt chết ruồi đấy. (Be careful with his compliments, sweet honey kills flies, you know.)

verb

1. to beguile by sweet promises