to catch flies with vinegar
- idiom
- Informal
:
no se atrapan moscas con vinagre
- My grandmother always said you can't catch flies with vinegar, so try to be polite.
Examples
-
He realized after the meeting that he couldn't catch flies with vinegar and decided to be more diplomatic next time.
-
If you want them to agree, remember you won't catch flies with vinegar.
-
You can't catch flies with vinegar!
-
She believes you can catch flies with vinegar if you are harsh.
-
If you want to persuade them, remember that you can't catch flies with vinegar, so be kind instead.
-
He learned the hard way that you cannot catch flies with vinegar when trying to win people's favor.
-
My father always told me that you can't catch flies with vinegar, and it’s better to use a gentle approach.
Synonyms
1
4.4
Get someone to agree or do something by pressuring them
How Unpleasant
194
4.6
- Informal
289
2.8
40
4.6
26
1.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'catch' and preposition 'with' plus 'vinegar' (an unpleasant means) give a partial clue that it’s about trying to attract something using an unpleasant method, so a learner might infer a rough negative meaning. However, the metaphorical mapping of 'flies' to people and the proverb-like conventional sense (that kindness works better than harshness) is culturally encoded and not fully predictable from the parts, so prior exposure is usually needed.
Etymology
Catch flies with vinegar comes from the simple image that you cannot catch flies with sour vinegar, because flies prefer sweet things, not sour. So, the saying means 'being unpleasant' won't 'attract' people, and kindness usually works better.