náhle/znenadání zastavit, zarazit se, ustat

We almost had an accident this morning. A big van pulled out in front of our car and stopped dead without giving a signal. (English Idioms, Oxford)

Simultaneously Lisa felt her heart stop dead and a rush of excitement unleash within her. (BNC)

As soon as I decided not to go farther than Cambridge, I wanted to stop dead in the middle of the road. (BNC)

zmírnit něco (aby to bylo přijatelnější), vynahradit

Since the 1970s there has been a movement to bring art into hospitals, to sugar the pill, to the advantage of both patients and artists. (BNC)

The boss has sugared the overtime pill by offering a large extra payment. (CUP, Eng.Idioms In Use)

Since the 1970s there has been a movement to bring art into hospitals, to sugar the pill, to the advantage of both patients and artists. (BNC)