Fig: to mask or ease a hard or unpleasant reality, making it more acceptable

When she got pregnant without being married, to sweeten the pill she told her family that they had already made their wedding plans anyway

Quando è rimasta incinta senza essere ancora sposata, per indorare la pillola, ha detto ai suoi che, comunque, avevano già deciso di sposarsi

The teacher announced to the class that they were going to have an exam the next day, but to sugarcoat the bad news, he told them that they could use their notes

Il professore annunciò agli studenti che avrebbero avuto un compito in classe il giorno seguente, ma, per indorare la pillola, disse anche che avrebbero potuto usare i loro appunti

This expression derives from the sugary coating applied to pills to make them more palatable