sweeten the pill

Related to sweeten the pill: so much for, worse for wear, be damned, give a shot

sweeten the pill

To make something bad, unpleasant, or dissatisfactory easier to cope with, endure, or accept. The bosses are giving everyone an extra 10% bonus this Christmas, but I suspect it's a way of sweetening the pill that there will be massive pay cuts in January. I have to tell my mom about wrecking her car, but I need to find a way to sweeten the pill first.
See also: pill, sweeten
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

sugar/sweeten the ˈpill

make something unpleasant seem less unpleasant: He tried to sweeten the pill by telling her she’d only be in hospital a few days.
See also: pill, sugar, sweeten
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • sugar-coat the pill
  • sugar the pill
  • sugar/sweeten the pill
  • suck it up
  • come to a bad end
  • come to a bad/sticky end
  • have no stomach for something
  • have the stomach for
  • be tainted by (something)
  • lie back and think of England
References in periodicals archive
He will attempt to sweeten the pill by claiming that he needs pounds 8 billion to spend on the National Health Service - but his popularity is set to nose-dive when he reveals his plans.
In 1997, to sweeten the pill of NATO's expansion into central Europe, NATO and Russia signed a document dubbed the "Founding Act" to establish the Permanent Joint Council (PJC) in which Russia held equal place with the 16 NATO members to discuss common security concerns.
Far more than mere sight gags, the best of these cartoons are bite-sized chunks of psychology, philosophy, or even theology, tiny morality plays with a twist of humor or satire to sweeten the pill or cover the barb.
Major then sought to sweeten the pill by passing on an invitation from the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to visit Moscow.
Mr Gilroy also made reference to the potential pay rises being handed out to those at the top of the council and said an extra 50p an hour for the lowest paid would not sweeten the pill.
CHANCELLORS bearing bad economic news generally like to do what they can to sweeten the pill.
To sweeten the pill, they offered me EeAu1,500 (Dh8,637) or so.
Money is the only thing that could sweeten the pill of having to be ambushed by Jon Snow.
The principle that no member state will gain a seat or lose more than one MEP' in the next European elections in 2014, invented by rapporteurs to sweeten the pill, was accepted by all MEPs meeting in plenary session, on 13 March.
Of course, the lovable mutt ultimately learns a valuable lesson about individuality versus conformity, with some slapstick interludes and syrupy sentiment to sweeten the pill.
But Mr Monti, now 81, said that did not sweeten the pill.
But to sweeten the pill, they bestowed hundreds of shares upon me, a neat pile for each account I owned.
A very disappointed Lions coach, Mark Ellis for once couldn't find positives to sweeten the pill.
Though, of course, they seek to sweeten the pill by claiming the kids would get a "better and broader" education elsewhere.
In a letter to David Cameron from Pfizer's Scottish-born chief executive, Ian Read attempted to sweeten the pill, pledging a commitment to Astra's planned research and development hub in Cambridge.