soft-soap
Flatter to persuade
Soft-soap means to flatter or cajole someone, usually to gain favor or manipulate: He tried to soft-soap the boss into approving his project.
The term comes from the literal soft soap—a semi-liquid soap that's slippery and smooth.
As a noun, soft soap is insincere flattery: Don't give me that soft soap.
Flatter to persuade
- flatterPraise to please
- cajolePersuade through flattery
- wheedlePersuade through flattery
- blandishCoax through flattery
compliment · schmooze · blarney · overpraise · adulation · fawning · smooth-talk · charm
Persuade by gentle urging
- convinceCause to believe
- swayRock back and forth
- influencePower to affect others
- prevailTo succeed ultimately
induce · urge · encourage · appeal · entice · sweet-talk · charm · lure
Excessive insincere flattery
- obsequiousServilely attentive to superiors
- toadyObsequious flatterer seeking favor
- bootlickerServile flatterer of superiors
- grovelingDemeaning self-abasement before another
kowtow · yes-man · brown-noser · apple-polisher · suck-up · servile · subservient · deferential
Smooth or craftily adept
- smooth-talkingCharmingly persuasive in speech
- suaveSmoothly refined in manner
- facileSuperficially simple or effortless
- insincereFeigning belief or feeling
superficial · urbane · polished · oily · smarmy · unctuous · plausible · fast-talking
Cause false belief
- misleadCause false belief
- hoodwinkTrick into false belief
- beguileCharm into deception
- dupeDeceive or victim
trick · con · scheme · maneuver · exploit · subterfuge · disingenuous · duplicitous
Substance for removing grime
- latherFoamy soap bubbles
- sudsyFull of lather
- detergentChemical cleaning agent
- glycerinViscous moisturizing compound
gentle · mild · saponified · moisturizing · emollient
sweet-talk
Flatter to persuade
blandish · compliment · schmooze · blarney · overpraise · adulation · fawning · smooth-talk · charm · coax
coax
Persuade by gentle urging
prevail · induce · urge · encourage · appeal · entice · sweet-talk · charm · lure · tempt
fawning
Excessive insincere flattery
- obsequiousServilely attentive to superiors
- toadyObsequious flatterer seeking favor
- bootlickerServile flatterer of superiors
groveling · kowtow · yes-man · brown-noser · apple-polisher · suck-up · servile · subservient · deferential · slavish
slick
Smooth or craftily adept
- smooth-talkingCharmingly persuasive in speech
- suaveSmoothly refined in manner
- facileSuperficially simple or effortless
insincere · superficial · urbane · polished · oily · smarmy · unctuous · plausible · fast-talking · eloquent
deceive
Cause false belief
dupe · trick · con · scheme · maneuver · exploit · subterfuge · disingenuous · duplicitous · connive
cleanser
Substance for removing grime
glycerin · gentle · mild · saponified · moisturizing · emollient
- flatteryflatter, praise, flattery, compliment, compliments
- persuasion tacticscharm, butter up, flattery, flatter, coax
- persuasionpersuade, persuasion, persuasive, convince, convincing
- lay it on thickexaggerate, overstate, embellish, ham it up, overact
- wileswiles, guile, cunning, craftiness, slyness
soft-soapbrowbeat
Intimidate through pressure
bully · intimidate · bulldoze · coerce · strong-arm
soft-soapspeak plainly
tell it like it is · level with · lay it on the line · be honest · tell the truth