blandish

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The Word of the Day for October 12 is:

blandish   \BLAN-dish\   verb
     *1 : to coax with flattery : cajole
      2 : to act or speak in a flattering or coaxing manner

Example sentence:
     "This is the perfect car for a smart, good-looking woman 
such as yourself," said the salesman in an attempt to blandish 
Emma into taking a car for a test drive.

Did you know?
     The word "blandish" has been a part of the English language 
since at least the 14th century with virtually no change in its 
meaning. It ultimately derives from "blandus," a Latin word 
meaning "mild" or "flattering." One of the earliest known uses 
of "blandish" can be found in the sacred writings of Richard 
Rolle de Hampole, an English hermit and mystic, who cautioned 
against "the dragon that blandishes with the head and smites 
with the tail." Although "blandish" might not exactly be 
suggestive of dullness, it was the "mild" sense of "blandus" 
that gave us our adjective "bland," which has a lesser-known 
sense meaning "smooth and soothing in manner or quality."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.