butter up

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to flatter

Idioms and Phrases

Excessively praise or flatter someone, usually to gain a favor. For example, If you butter up Dad, he'll let you borrow the car. This term transfers the oily, unctuous quality of butter to lavish praise. [c. 1700]

Example Sentences

A UK attempt to butter up the French leader, perhaps?

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Almost every coach or general manager butters up the people who are signing his paychecks.

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Instead, they were hearing Silver butter up every Democratic club in the county.

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The con works like this: Victims are buttered up by the scammer for weeks and even months to gain the victim’s trust.

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Electric and gas utilities have used money collected from customers to lobby lawmakers, butter up regulators, and slow the shift to clean energy.

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