You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar

you (can) catch more flies with honey than (with) vinegar

proverb You are more likely to get the results you want from other people if you treat them with kindness or flattery, rather than being aggressive, demanding, or caustic. I think the kids would visit you more if you were nicer to them. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, you know. A: "Half my team just told me they are quitting!" B: "Well, maybe they wouldn't leave if you didn't scream at them every time something went wrong. After all, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

See also: catch, flies, honey, more, vinegar

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Prov. It is easier to get what you want by flattering people and being polite to them than by making demands. Jill: This meal is terrible. Let's get the restaurant manager over here and make a scene unless he gives us our money back. Jane: We might have more luck if we ask politely. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

See also: can, catch, flies, honey, more, vinegar

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.