Dorarle la pastilla

[Jane]

Escrito originalmente por poli

¿Eres antropófago? ¡Que horror! ¿Piensas quee es mejor azucararles? Aunque no practico canibalismo (aquí se consida tabú) pienso que
ajo y sal sirve mejor para sazonar con vino y champiñones.

Escrito originalmente por Alfonso

So, I guess you can only sugarcoat somebody if you are thinking of eating her / him after.

You guys are so weird!
I´m almost freaking out...

[Alfonso]

Escrito originalmente por poli

¿Eres antropófago? ¡Qué horror! ¿Piensas que es mejor azucararles? Aunque no practico (el) canibalismo (aquí se consida tabú) pienso que ajo y sal sirve mejor para sazonar con vino y champiñones.

Of course, I am. I try everything.

Azucararles is an example of accepted leísmo, as you refer to a male person. Anyway, it's common here in Spain, but I think in Latin America it's much more common to distinguish the direct object from the indirect object, and to say azucararlos.

[Tomisimo]

Escrito originalmente por Jane

You guys are so weird!
I´m almost freaking out...

Quizá Alfonso usaba to eat en un sentido más figurado.

[Jane]

Escrito originalmente por Tomisimo

Quizá Alfonso usaba to eat en un sentido más figurado.

Pero... Como qué?
Alfonso?

[Elaina]

I've always understood "sugarcoat" like this from Mary Poppins....

That a...
Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
The medicine go down-down
The medicine go down
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
In a most delightful way

But what you guys are talking about.......hmmmmmm
David, what do you mean?

[Alfonso]

I mean the same than you, Elaina:

Escrito originalmente por Alfonso

OK, but dorar la pildora has also the meaning you thought, as it was the way on the Middle Ages writers used to cover their moralising writings with tales, jokes, funny or erotic adventures to reach a wider number of readers.

It's a topic from those times: La píldora azucarada más agradable se traga.
And dorar la píldora is something like to put azúcar / oro in something distasteful to swallow.

Escrito originalmente por Elaina

I've always understood "sugarcoat" like this from Mary Poppins....

That a...
Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
The medicine go down-down
The medicine go down
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
In a most delightful way

But what you guys are talking about.......hmmmmmm
David, what do you mean?

But, of course, Mary Poppins' example is much better than mine.