sweeten (up) the deal
To make something more enticing, alluring, or attractive, especially from a financial perspective. He was still unsure whether he wanted the job, so the company offered to sweeten the deal with an excellent pension plan. Don't be afraid to sweeten the deal with a little bit of pocket money if your kids are really unwilling to do chores.
sweeten (up) the kitty
To make something more enticing, alluring, or attractive, especially from a financial perspective. He was still unsure whether he wanted the job, so the company offered to sweeten the kitty with an excellent pension plan. Don't be afraid to sweeten the kitty with a little bit of pocket money if your kids are really unwilling to do chores.
sweeten (up) the pot
To make something more enticing, alluring, or attractive, especially from a financial perspective. He was still unsure whether he wanted the job, so the company offered to sweeten the pot with an excellent pension plan. Don't be afraid to sweeten the pot with a little bit of pocket money if your kids are really unwilling to do chores.
sweeten the pill
To make something bad, unpleasant, or dissatisfactory easier to cope with, endure, or accept. The bosses are giving everyone an extra 10% bonus this Christmas, but I suspect it's a way of sweetening the pill that there will be massive pay cuts in January. I have to tell my mom about wrecking her car, but I need to find a way to sweeten the pill first.
sweeten up
1. Literally, to make something taste sweeter. A noun or pronoun can be used between "sweeten" and "up." I like to use honey to sweeten up my tea. Just use a dash of sugar to cut through the acidity of the tomatoes in the sauce, but not so much that you end up sweetening it up.
2. To make something more pleasant, appealing, or enticing, especially from a financial perspective. A noun or pronoun can be used between "sweeten" and "up." I really don't want to look after Tommy this weekend, but buying me that video game I've been asking for would really sweeten up the deal. Desperate to close the sale, the owners tried to sweeten it up by offering to knock $10,000 off the price of the house.
3. To cause someone to be more pleasant, amiable, or magnanimous. A noun or pronoun can be used between "sweeten" and "up." I thought moving to Florida would sweeten up my cranky old uncle, but he's still as cantankerous as ever. He tried to sweeten her up with an expensive gift, but she still wouldn't give him the time of day.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
sweeten someone up
to make someone more pleasant. I had hoped that a week in the Caribbean would sweeten him up. The trip sweetened him up, but not for long.
sweeten something up
to make something taste sweeter. Where is the sugar? I need to sweeten this up a little. A little sugar will sweeten up the coffee.
sweeten the pot
Fig. to increase the amount of money bet in a card game with hopes of encouraging other players to bet more enthusiastically. John sweetened the pot hoping others would follow.
sweeten (up) the deal
Fig. to make a bargain or a business transaction more appealing by adding value to the transaction. The dealer sweetened the deal by throwing in free car washes. He wasn't willing to do anything to sweeten the deal, so I left. She sweetened up the deal with a little extra money.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
sweeten the kitty
Also, sweeten the pot or deal . Make something financially more attractive, as in I am unable to give you the new title but I could sweeten the kitty a little by giving you a raise . This idiom comes from card games such as poker, where it means "add money to the pool," and uses sweeten in the sense of "make more agreeable." [Slang; c. 1900]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.