treat (or handle) with kid gloves
idiomatic phrase

- to be very polite or kind to someone because you do not want to make them angry or upset

Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

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ORIGIN

This expression is based on the literal meaning of kid gloves, which are made of extremely soft leather from the skin of a young goat. A young goat is called a kid, thus the leather is referred to as kidskin (Ziegenleder).

Metaphorically speaking, handling someone with kid gloves implies soft or gentle treatment. Since kid is another word for a young child, treatment with kid gloves also suggests treating someone as you would a child; in other words with care.

The Oxford Dictionary says the expression “treat with kid gloves” was first used in the 1830s. Out of this grew another phrase, “to wear kid gloves”, which referred to someone who was considered a softy (Weichling) or a member of the upper class, who was not required to perform any real work.

Furthermore, one can “handle without gloves” or “take off the gloves”, which means taking a stronger approach when dealing with someone. These expressions likely originated from boxing, where taking off the gloves suggests that the rules of fair play no longer apply, leading to a hard and brutal fight.

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SYNONYMS

to baby someone, afford protection to, be overprotective towards, cater to, coddle, cosset, feather-bed, go soft on, pamper, mollycoddle

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Practice OWAD in an English conversation, say something like:

“Try to TREAT Bob WITH KID GLOVES, he’s going through a hard time at the moment.”

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Paul Smith