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butter up

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butter someone up

 and butter up to someone

to flatter someone; to treat someone especially nicely in hopes of receiving special favors. (See also spread something on thick; soft soap.) A student tried to butter the teacher up. She buttered up the teacher again.

See also: butter, up

butter somebody up

also butter up somebody

to praise someone in order to get them to like you or do what you want The magazine tried to get her to write an article by buttering her up.

See also: butter, up

butter up

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]

See also: butter, up

butter up

v.

To praise or flatter someone in order to make him or her more receptive or willing: My coworker, hoping for a raise, is always buttering up the boss. If we butter up the bartender, maybe he'll buy us a drink.

See also: butter, up