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I'm looking for an idiom for
making something sound plausible
that captures the full flavor and imagery that some foreign languages have (such as in Hebrew, where the idiom would be literally rendered as: appeasing (or soothing) the ear)

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  • His argument carries weight, stands up, holds water, ...
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Apr 12, 2018 at 13:38
  • 2
    ... has the ring of truth
    – Jim
    Commented Apr 12, 2018 at 13:42
  • I think more context would be helpful. Do you want to imply that the speaker is making something sound better than it actually is to persuade his/her audience (is what they're saying in any way false)? Or is the speaker trying to represent a situation in a way that will make someone feel better (appease him/her)? Or does the speaker just have a way with words? There are so many different possibilities depending on what you want to convey.
    – Hee Jin
    Commented Apr 12, 2018 at 16:14
  • Make a "pitch" for something involves advocating a point of action by presenting it's benefits in a positive light and possibly addressing potential obsticals as surmountable. "spin" is another way of recasting an issue ... not so much about a point of action though.
    – Tom22
    Commented Apr 12, 2018 at 22:12

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For literally meaning "news that is appeasing (or soothing) the ear" you can use music to (someone's) ears. There's also easy on the ears but that's typically about music and not about news.

TFD(idioms):

music to someone's ears
Fig. a welcome sound to someone; news that someone is pleased to hear. A: Here's your paycheck for this month. B: Ah, that's music to my ears!

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

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One that closely parallels your "appeasing the ear" is Paint a pretty picture.

(Adult / Slang) (Expression) to make a situation or thing seem better than it is, often through exaggeration or lies Usage: A drug addict is in recovery, his/her marriage is on the rocks, he tells his family that he and his wife are fine, that his marriage is solid, and things will be fine when he gets out of rehab. The family relaxes because this is a positive thing as part of his rehab. He painted a pretty picture over an ugly one.

Paint a pretty picture: definition-of.com https://www.definition-of.com/paint+a+pretty+picture

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There are expressions using 'honeyed' that convey this:

honeyed 1. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]

You can describe someone's voice or words as honeyed when they are very pleasant to listen to, especially if you want to suggest that they are insincere.

His gentle manner and honeyed tones reassured Andrew.

They could not understand how anyone could believe her honeyed words.

[Collins CoBuild}

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