sawder
Definition
Noun (archaic or dialectal):
- Flattery or insincere praise: "sawder" refers to excessive, often deceptive compliments used to influence or please someone. It is frequently encountered in the phrase "soft sawder," meaning smooth or oily flattery.
Verb (rare):
- To flatter or praise insincerely: The verb form of "sawder" means to use flattery to gain favour or manipulate.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- He poured on the sawder until she agreed to his request. (He used excessive flattery to persuade her.)
- The politician's speech was full of soft sawder meant to win votes. (The speech contained insincere praise.)
Verb:
- She sawdered her boss with compliments about his leadership. (She flattered her boss insincerely.)
Advanced Usage
- "soft sawder": A fixed phrase meaning smooth, persuasive flattery, often with a connotation of deceit.
- The salesman's soft sawder convinced the couple to buy the expensive car. (The salesman’s persuasive flattery led to the sale.)
Variants and Related Words
Sawderer (n): a person who uses flattery.
- He was a notorious sawderer, always praising others for his own gain. (He was a flatterer.)
Sawdering (adj): characterized by flattery.
- His sawdering remarks made everyone uncomfortable. (His flattering comments were insincere.)
Synonyms
- Flattery: excessive and insincere praise.
- Adulation: excessive admiration or praise.
- Blarney: smooth, flattering talk (often Irish in origin).
- Cajolery: persuasion through flattery or deceit.
Related Idioms
Butter someone up: to flatter someone excessively to gain favour.
- He buttered up his teacher to get a better grade. (He used flattery, similar to sawder.)
Soft soap: flattery used to persuade (similar to "soft sawder").
- She used soft soap to get her way with the committee. (She used smooth flattery.)
Phrasal Verbs
- Sawder up (rare): to flatter someone excessively.
- The assistant sawdered up the manager before asking for a raise. (The assistant flattered the manager heavily.)