# pour honey on

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/pour-honey-on
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To praise or encourage wholeheartedly.

## Examples

- She loves to pour honey on her friends when they feel sad.
- The manager decided to pour honey on the team during the meeting to boost their confidence after a difficult project.
- My grandmother always likes to pour honey on my cooking, even when I know I used too much salt or overcooked the vegetables.
- Rather than criticizing the young artist's early mistakes, the mentor chose to pour honey on his efforts, knowing that gentle encouragement would foster his growth.

## Origin

A aphorism first quoted by boxing heavyweight Riddick Bowe in a February 1993 edition of New York Magazine: "If you see me in a fight with a bear, do me a favor—pour honey on me”. Later in a 2023 Instagram post by Lebron James: "If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a Grizzly bear, HELP THE BEAR [crown emoji]" to which Shannon Sharpe replied "I'm pouring honey on you GOAT," both referring to a variation on Bowe’s aphorism. An earlier variation by Shannon Sharpe in a Twitter post in 2017: “IF* you see me and a bear fighting pour honey on me and help the bear.”

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.