a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

== English == === Alternative forms === a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down === Etymology === From the Sherman Brothers' 1964 song "A Spoonful of Sugar". === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ə ˈspuːnfəl əv ˈʃʊɡə(ɹ) ˌhɛlps ðə ˈmɛdɪsɪn ɡoʊ ˌdaʊn/ === Proverb === a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down An otherwise unpleasant situation can be pleasant when a pleasant aspect is deliberately introduced. 2004, John Hoover, How to Work for an Idiot: Survive & Thrive... Without Killing Your Boss, Career Press, →ISBN, page 11, If a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, a barrel of laughs can wash down the big pills you might need to swallow. ==== Related terms ==== sugarcoat a bitter pill ==== Translations ====