sweet (redirected from sweeter)

*sweet as honey and sweeter than honey; sweet as sugar

very sweet; charming. (*Also: as ~.) Larry's words were sweeter than honey as he tried to convince Alice to forgive him. Jill: Is Mary Ann nice? Jane: Yes, indeed. She's as sweet as honey. Your little girl is darling! Just as sweet as sugar.

See also: honey

*sweet on someone

Rur. fond of someone. (Typically: be ~; become ~.) Tom is sweet on Mary. He may ask her to marry him. Mary's sweet on him, too.

fresh and sweet 

1. very clean and fresh smelling. Now the baby is changed and she is all fresh and sweet.

2. Inf. just out of jail. Mary is fresh and sweet and back on the street.

See also: and, fresh

have a sweet tooth

Fig. to desire to eat many sweet foods-especially candy and pastries. I have a sweet tooth, and if I don't watch it, I'll really get fat. John eats candy all the time. He must have a sweet tooth.

See also: have, tooth

lay some sweet lines on someone and put some sweet lines on someone

Sl. to speak kindly to someone; to soft-soap someone. I just laid some sweet lines on her, and she let me use her car. If you put some sweet lines on him, maybe he won't ground you.

See also: lay, line, some

Revenge is sweet.

Prov. It is very pleasurable to revenge yourself on someone. Jill: Remember when Tom left me for another woman? Well, she just left him, and he asked me out on a date. I told him I had better things to do. Jane: Revenge is sweet, huh?

See also: revenge

rose by any other name would smell as sweet

Prov. The nature of a thing is more important than what it is called. (From Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet.) Bob was upset when his job title was changed from "administrative assistant" to "secretary." We tried to convince him that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

See also: any, name, other, rose, smell

short and sweet

Cliché brief (and pleasant because of briefness). That was a good sermon—short and sweet. I don't care what you say, as long as you make it short and sweet.

See also: and, short

stolen fruit is sweetest and stolen pleasures are sweetest

Prov. People often enjoy illicit things just because they are illicit. To judge from the number of his extramarital affairs, John must believe that stolen pleasures are sweetest.

See also: fruit, stolen

sweet and sour

a combination of fruity sweet and sour, but not necessarily salty, flavors. (Typically referring to certain Chinese-American foods.) I prefer sweet-and-sour pork to anything else on the menu. Alice does not care for sweet-and-sour dishes, but she will usually eat whatever we serve her.

See also: and, sour

sweet nothings

affectionate but unimportant or meaningless words spoken to a loved one. Jack was whispering sweet nothings in Joan's ear when they were dancing. The two lovers sat in the cinema exchanging sweet nothings.

See also: nothing

sweet-talk someone

Rur. to talk convincingly to someone with much flattery. I didn't want to help her, but she sweet-talked me into it. He sweet-talked her for a while, and she finally agreed to go to the dance with him.

Take the bitter with the sweet.

Prov. Accept the bad things as well as the good things that happen. (Implies that the bad and good things you are talking about are very serious or important.) If you intend to get married, you must be prepared to take the bitter with the sweet.

See also: bitter, take

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a sweet deal  (American & Australian informal)

a very good business agreement or arrangement It's a sweet deal for the companies who get these franchises.

See also: deal

a sweet tooth

if you have a sweet tooth, you like eating food with sugar in it It's things like chocolate and cake that I can't resist - I've got a real sweet tooth.

See also: tooth

cop it sweet  (Australian informal)

to be lucky in a way that you did not expect We copped it sweet this afternoon - the boss went home early.

See also: cop

keep somebody sweet

to do things to please someone so that they help you or treat you well in the future I like to keep the neighbours sweet in case we have to borrow a ladder or something from them.

See also: keep

short and sweet  (humorous)

pleasantly short This morning's lecture was short and sweet.

See have on a short leash, be nothing short of [astonishing etc.], in the long run, draw the short straw, fall short of, pull up short, sell short, stop short, stop short of, in the long term

See also: and, short

sweet Fanny Adams  (informal) also sweet FA (very informal)

nothing

Usage notes: Fanny Adams and FA are used in this expression to avoid saying fuck-all.

Why's Mark dispensing advice? He knows sweet Fanny Adams about computers! And what did we get for all our hard work? Sweet FA!

See also: fanny

sweet nothings

romantic things that people who are in love say to each other He kept leaning across the table, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

See You bet your ass!, cop it sweet, keep sweet

See also: nothing

sweet-talk somebody into doing something

to persuade someone to do something by saying nice things to them Don't let him sweet-talk you into staying the night.