Dorarle la pastilla

[poli]

¿Que significa dorarle la pastilla? I think it means to sugarcoat, but I'm not sure/

[Alfonso]

It's more common dorar la píldora, at least in Spain and in the Literature tradition in Spanish.

I don't know what you mean by to sugarcoat.

Dorar la píldora a alguien is hacerle la pelota, halagarle, that's to say, to say beautiful things to someone with the intention to obtain something on return.

[poli]

Gracias por explicarme. Adiviné incorrectamente, porque sugarcoat
significa cubrir con azucar para hacer una cosa desagradable mas aceptable.

[Alfonso]

Originally Posted by poli

Gracias por explicarme. Adiviné incorrectamente, porque sugarcoat
significa cubrir con azucar para hacer una cosa desagradable mas agradable

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.

[Tomisimo]

To sugarcoat something may not always be the best translation, but I think it works in many cases.

[Alfonso]

So, can you sugarcoat somebody?

[Jane]

Originally Posted by Alfonso

So, can you sugarcoat somebody?

...

[poli]

Originally Posted by Alfonso

So, can you sugarcoat somebody?

No you can't. You butter up a person which might sound vulgar, but it isn't considered very vulgar. It just another way of saying to flatter someone.

You can sugar coat a pill, an idea or concept..

[Alfonso]

Thanks a lot. I'll try to retain to flatter and to butter up somebody.

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

[poli]

Originally Posted by Alfonso

Thanks a lot. I'll try to retain to flatter and to butter up somebody.

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

¿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.