The word 胃口 means appetite but the verb 钓 makes it tricky to translate the term literally as it wouldn't really make sense.
Just wondering if anyone has found a nice way to translate this common term in a way that also makes sense in English without deviating from the meaning of the characters too much (if that's possible).
Here are some potential candidates I thought of:
- arouse one's appetite (matches most in meaning of characters)
- pique one's interest
- leave one in suspense (matches most in meaning I think)
I would have added 'dangle a carrot in front of someone' but I think it implies something else rather than simply trying to tease someone by with holding something from them.