Nov 9, 2015 15:31
8 yrs ago
20 viewers *
English term
DELVING into DETAIL
Native in: Russian 
Works in: English to Russian, Russian, Russian to English, and 2 more.
way to not sugarcoat it
English
Other
Other
JESSE: You look terrible, Petra. Your skin is, like, almost grey.
PETRA: Hey, way to not sugarcoat it. I feel even worse than I look.
What does she actually mean by this phrase?
PETRA: Hey, way to not sugarcoat it. I feel even worse than I look.
What does she actually mean by this phrase?
Responses
+10
6 mins
Selected
that's a good way to tell the unpleasant truth
As I understand it, "Way to..." like this needs to be understood as "gee, that's a good way (not!) to..."
we say 'to sugar-coat something" when we mean to make something unpleasant more palatable... initially, perhaps literally with the 'sugar-coated pill' (e.g. to hide the bitter taste of the medication); but it is used a lot figuratively, referring to often superficial means used to get e.g. the public / employees, etc. to accept something they basically won't like.
So I think she is saying "Thanks a lot for making that rather unkindly true observation, as if I didn't already know that I feel and look like sh*t!"
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 heures (2015-11-09 17:37:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
As Charles rightly points out, the whole remark is of course ironing: it is NOT a good way to tell Petra she's looking a bit off colour...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 heures (2015-11-09 17:37:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Freudian slip there: ironic, not 'ironing'!
we say 'to sugar-coat something" when we mean to make something unpleasant more palatable... initially, perhaps literally with the 'sugar-coated pill' (e.g. to hide the bitter taste of the medication); but it is used a lot figuratively, referring to often superficial means used to get e.g. the public / employees, etc. to accept something they basically won't like.
So I think she is saying "Thanks a lot for making that rather unkindly true observation, as if I didn't already know that I feel and look like sh*t!"
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 heures (2015-11-09 17:37:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
As Charles rightly points out, the whole remark is of course ironing: it is NOT a good way to tell Petra she's looking a bit off colour...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 heures (2015-11-09 17:37:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Freudian slip there: ironic, not 'ironing'!
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks everybody!!!"
+10
8 mins
Mikhail Kropotov
Germany
Germany
Works in field
Germany
US-educated, precise & thorough
Native in: Russian
Works in: English to Russian, Russian to English, Russian
Related KudoZ points
:
4
That's a blunt way of putting it
She is slightly taken aback by how blunt, straightforward and possibly rude Jesse is in commenting negatively on her appearance
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Tony M
1 min
|
| agree |
Shera Lyn Parpia
27 mins
|
| agree |
P.L.F. Persio
2 hrs
|
| agree |
Yvonne Gallagher
3 hrs
|
| agree |
Victoria Britten
5 hrs
|
| agree |
Denise Leitao
5 hrs
|
| agree |
Michael Barnett
12 hrs
|
| agree |
Rachel Braff
19 hrs
|
| agree |
Mikhail Korolev
1 day 2 hrs
|
| agree |
acetran
1 day 15 hrs
|
-2
14 mins
Phoenix III
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
United States
True words...
Native in: English (Variant: US) , Spanish (Variant: Latin American)
Works in: Spanish to English, Spanish, English, and 1 more.
Way to disguise/avoid tellung the truth
Instead of saying: you look HORRIBLE! The person was diplomatic and perhaps trying to avoid hurting the other person's feelings did the contrary.
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
Tony M
: That's got it the wrong way round: the person was brutally blunt and made no attempt to "disguise the truth"
4 mins
|
|
Could be but to sugar coat means to go about it in a round about way avoiding being direct.
|
|
| disagree |
Andrew Bramhall
: Surely to 'sugarcoat' means to make something bitter and unpleasant taste palatable, like when children need to take pills they rather wouldn't??
42 mins
|
Something went wrong...