dar jabón: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  SpainLatin Americainformal
  • To flatter someone excessively or insincerely in order to gain favor or achieve a purpose.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Carlos siempre le da jabón al jefe para que le apruebe los días libres.

    Carlos always flatters the boss to get his days off approved.

  • No me gusta cuando me dan jabón, prefiero que me digan la verdad sin rodeos.

    I don't like it when they flatter me; I prefer to be told the truth straight.

  • Si quieres que te ayuden, tendrás que dar jabón un poco, pero sin exagerar.

    If you want them to help you, you'll have to flatter a little, but not too much.

• 2.

  Spaininformal
  • To polish, gloss over, or otherwise try to make something appear better than it really is; to give superficial improvement or spin.

  Examples

  Beta

  • El político dio jabón a su imagen pública, pero no cumplió ninguna promesa.

    The politician glossed over his public image, but didn't fulfill any promises.

  • No dejes que te den jabón con esas ofertas que suenan demasiado buenas para ser verdad.

    Don't let them polish things over with those offers that sound too good to be true.

  • La empresa intentó dar jabón al informe para que pareciera que los resultados eran mejores.

    The company tried to gloss over the report to make the results look better.