Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“I think the film is romantic because it’s honest about love and doesn’t sugarcoat it.”
- Actor Ryan Gosling talking about his new film, Blue Valentine. (Us Weekly)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
make something seem more pleasant than it really is
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
Almost anything tastes good dipped in chocolate, right? That’s the idea behind the expression sugarcoat it. When you sugarcoat something, you make something seem more appealing than it really is. You can even try to make bad news seem good by covering it with a sweet candy layer of deception. It’s like when you were little, and your dad told you that your dog went to live on a farm, but it really went…well, we don’t need to go into that right now.
Ryan Gosling is in a new movie called Blue Valentine that depicts the beginning and the end of a relationship. Most people agree that the movie is pretty depressing, because it shows how two people can start out being completely in love and end up basically hating each other. But Gosling thinks that Blue Valentine is romantic, because it doesn’t tell any lies about love. It doesn’t try to sugarcoat it by pretending that sometimes, love hurts.
Although the expression sugarcoat it may sound pretty sweet, it’s actually somewhat negative. That’s because when you sugarcoat something, you’re less than honest about it. It’s usually better to tell the truth, no matter how bitter it may be.
Do you usually try to sugarcoat bad news? Do you prefer people to be honest with you if they have something bad to tell you, or would you rather they sugarcoat it?
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“If you’re going to break up with Taylor, don’t sugarcoat it. Just be honest.”
“My dad always tries to sugarcoat bad news and put a positive spin on it.”
“Martin never sugarcoats anything. He’s a realist.”