我们形容一些很会说话哄别人的人做‘口甜舌滑’,遇到别人对你说甜言蜜语,你可回敬对方一句:You are a sweet talker. (你是个口甜舌滑的人)或 How sweet of you.(你真甜!)。另外,说话滑头的人则叫做smooth talker。
对话
Joe: Oh darling, you are a goddess. I worship you.
Vivian: How sweet. You are a charmer.
Joe: But your beauty transcends words. I adore you.
Vivian: You are a sweet talker.
Joe: Not really. I'm a sweet eater. I needed to butter you up to get some of your chocolates. May I?
乔: 噢,亲爱的,你是女神,我崇拜你。
维维安: 好甜喔,你真有吸引力。
乔: 但你的美貌非笔墨可形容,我爱慕你。
维维安: 你是个口甜舌滑的人。
乔: 不是,我是个爱吃甜的人,巴结你,是想你分些巧克力给我吃,可以吗?
乔盛赞维维安美丽,维维安说:You are a sweet talker.(你甜嘴蜜舌)。乔笑道:I needed to butter you up to get some of your chocolates.(巴结你,是想你分些巧克力给我吃)。Butter up是‘巴结’、‘讨好’的意思。牛油(butter)有润滑作用,可使铰链等转动较为顺畅,butter up大概就是取‘求顺畅’含义,例如:Look at her buttering up the boss, as usual(看罢,她总是那样巴结上司)。
Sweet talk和smooth talk都是‘甜言蜜语’,例如:If sweet talk/smooth talk cannot win him over, try bribery.(假如蜜语甜言不能赢得他的支持,那就试试贿赂吧)。这两个名词加连字号(hyphen)就成为动词,例如:I sweet-talked/smooth-talked him into helping us.(我的甜言美语,说服了他帮助我们)。
Sweet talk、smooth talk都是俚俗说法;文雅一点, ‘甜言蜜语’可称为honeyed words,例如:Many a young man will woo you with honeyed words, my girl. But words are often deceitful. Close your ears to them.(小姑娘,很多人会甜言蜜语向你求爱,但言语常是骗人的,你不要听取)。Close one's ears是‘不听’的意思。
要告诉人家阿谀奉承并没有用,英文有一句成语:Flattery will get you nowhere。Flattery即‘谄媚’。例如维维安可以告诉乔:I'm glad to hear that my beauty transcends words, but flattery will get you nowhere. You won't get any of my chocolates.(真高兴你说我美得笔墨无法形容,但巴结我并没有用:我也不会分一块巧克力给你)。

