Butter Someone Up
Meaning: To praise someone or be extra nice to them so they’ll do something for you.
If you “butter someone up,” you flatter them a lot to get something you want. It’s like spreading compliments the way you spread butter on toast—smooth and sweet! For example, “She tried to butter up her teacher to get a better grade.”
How to use it
It’s informal and slightly teasing. People often use it to point out obvious flattery: “Are you buttering me up?” It suggests the kindness isn’t completely sincere, so it isn’t a compliment. With a noun, the object can go in the middle or at the end: “butter up the boss” or “butter the boss up.”
Examples
- He’s buttering up his manager because he wants Friday off.
- You’re being really nice today. Are you buttering me up?
- I brought donuts to butter up the team before asking for help.
A common mistake
With a pronoun, it must go in the middle: butter me up, butter her up, not “butter up her.”
Say it out loud
Tabbi Daily gives you one short lesson like this every day. Listen, record yourself and hear how you sound. Free, no account needed.
Source: 158 Main