butter someone up
/ˌbʌtə ˌsʌmwʌn ˈʌp/INFORMAL · C1
Meaning
to be very nice to someone so that they will help you
Examples
- 1Leo is buttering Mum up because he wants a lift to the party on Saturday.
- 2Don't try to butter me up — the answer is still no.
- 3Tom brought the boss coffee and praised her ideas; he was clearly buttering her up before asking for Friday off.
- 4If we butter Gran up with flowers, maybe she'll let us stay up late.
- 5My sister buttered me up all week, then asked to borrow my new jacket.
Grammar
someone goes between butter and up: butter her up, butter Mum up. butter changes form: butters, buttered, buttering.
More idioms about food
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →go bananasto become very angry or very exciteda hot potatoa difficult subject that people argue aboutpig outto eat a very large amount of foodbread and butterthe work that brings in most of your incomea piece of cakesomething that is very easy to donot your cup of teanot the kind of thing that you like or enjoy
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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