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Glite Dictionary
to pour honey in someone's ear

to pour honey in someone's ear

9.9
Say nice words you do not mean to get something from someone
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : halagar
  • Stop pouring honey in my ear and just tell me the truth.

Examples

  • He was trying to pour honey in her ear with compliments, but she saw through his act.

  • He always pours honey in my ear before asking for a favor.

  • Whenever they need a favor, they suddenly start pouring honey in my ear.

  • Don't pour honey in her ear just to get what you want!

  • He tried to pour honey in her ear with flattering words to win her over.

  • Whenever he needs something, he loves to pour honey in my ear with sweet compliments.

  • Stop pouring honey in my ear and just say what you really think.

Synonyms

to flatter
vsto pour honey in someone's ear
100 3.6

Praise someone with words you do not mean to get their help

carries an extra sense of deception with sweet words rather than mere praise
to sweet-talk
vsto pour honey in someone's ear
  • Informal
23 5.3

To persuade someone by saying nice things to them

uses sweet lies specifically to flatter or mislead rather than inform
to butter up
vsto pour honey in someone's ear
  • Informal
13 4.2

Say nice things to someone to get what you want

is used to trick or deceive with sweet words rather than simple praise
to soft-soap
vsto pour honey in someone's ear
  • Informal
1 7.7

To try to persuade someone by giving false praise

focuses on flattering to deceive rather than honest opinion
to honey
vsto pour honey in someone's ear
  • Informal
1 8.1

To speak very kindly to someone to get something from them

adds an explicit idea of deceit beyond merely speaking sweetly
to honey up to
vsto pour honey in someone's ear
  • Informal
8.8

To please someone with too many compliments to get a favor

is more about ingratiation as a social strategy rather than pure deception

Antonyms

to criticize
701 3.3

To say what is wrong with someone or something

to disparage
28 7.7

To speak badly about someone or something to show little respect

How Flattering

to pour honey in someone's ear
  • Informal
9.9
to butter up
  • Informal
13 4.2
to sweet-talk
  • Informal
23 5.3
to flatter
100 3.6
to compliment
95 1.6

Surface Forms

pour honey in someone's ear infinitive
poured honey in someone's ear past
poured honey in someone's ear past participle
pouring honey in someone's ear present participle
pours honey in someone's ear third person singular

Morphology

pour + honey + in + someone's + ear

The image combines 'honey' (sweetness) and 'ear' (hearing), so a learner who knows the words can plausibly infer the idea of 'sweet words' or flattery. However, mapping the action 'pour' onto deliberate insincere persuasion is metaphorical and not fully predictable without exposure; while similar metaphors exist cross-linguistically, the exact phrasing is partially idiomatic.

Etymology

Pour honey in someone's ear may come from the simple image of someone pouring honey into another person's ear, so the person only hears sweet things. That's why it means 'to flatter or deceive someone with sweet talk'.