He spoke calmly to them trying to pour oil on troubled waters but it was useless .

他心平气和地与他们讲话试图使争吵平息，但这却是徒劳的。

The two men were shouting abuse, but she did her best to pour oil on the troubled waters.

那两个男人大声对骂，而她则尽力从中调解。

When I tried to pour oil on troubled waters, both the angry husband and his wife stopped their quarrel and began to attack me.

当我试图平息这对夫妇间的争执时，愤怒的丈夫和他的妻子两人都停下了争吵并转而攻击我。

Her children were just at that age when they seemed to quarrel all day long, so she had to learn very quickly how to pour oil on troubled waters.

她的孩子们正处于似乎整天争吵不休的年龄，因此她得尽快学会如何平息风波。