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Dorarle la pastilla

 

An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not readily apparent based on the individual words in the expression. This forum is dedicated to discussing idioms and other sayings.


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  #1
Old July 28, 2008, 07:11 AM
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Dorarle la pastilla

¿Que significa dorarle la pastilla? I think it means to sugarcoat, but I'm not sure/
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  #2
Old July 28, 2008, 07:46 AM
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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.
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  #3
Old July 28, 2008, 07:54 AM
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Gracias por explicarme. Adiviné incorrectamente, porque sugarcoat
significa cubrir con azucar para hacer una cosa desagradable mas aceptable.
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  #4
Old July 28, 2008, 08:00 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by poli View Post
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.
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  #5
Old July 28, 2008, 01:04 PM
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To sugarcoat something may not always be the best translation, but I think it works in many cases.
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  #6
Old July 28, 2008, 02:15 PM
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So, can you sugarcoat somebody?
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  #7
Old July 28, 2008, 02:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfonso View Post
So, can you sugarcoat somebody?
...
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  #8
Old July 28, 2008, 02:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfonso View Post
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..
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Last edited by poli; July 28, 2008 at 02:22 PM.
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  #9
Old July 28, 2008, 02:25 PM
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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.
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  #10
Old July 28, 2008, 03:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfonso View Post
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.
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  #11
Old July 28, 2008, 03:10 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by poli View Post
¿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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 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...
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  #12
Old July 28, 2008, 03:12 PM
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¿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.
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  #13
Old July 29, 2008, 12:56 AM
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You guys are so weird!
I´m almost freaking out...
Quizá Alfonso usaba to eat en un sentido más figurado.
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  #14
Old July 29, 2008, 02:57 AM
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Quizá Alfonso usaba to eat en un sentido más figurado.
Pero... Como qué?
Alfonso?
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  #15
Old July 30, 2008, 01:12 PM
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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?
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Old July 30, 2008, 02:43 PM
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I mean the same than you, Elaina:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alfonso View Post
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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elaina View Post
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.
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