Phrasal verb
butter up
Definition
phrasal verb. to be extra nice or give someone many compliments because you want them to do a favor for you.
phrasal verb. to praise or flatter someone excessively, typically with the ulterior motive of securing a favor or advantage.
Examples
“He is trying to butter up his boss to get a promotion.”
“She spent the whole evening buttering up her parents before asking to borrow their car for the weekend.”
“The lobbyists attempted to butter up the committee members with expensive dinners and glowing praise before the crucial vote on the new regulations.”
Examples
simple
“He is trying to butter up his boss to get a promotion.”
contextual
“She spent the whole evening buttering up her parents before asking to borrow their car for the weekend.”
complex
“The lobbyists attempted to butter up the committee members with expensive dinners and glowing praise before the crucial vote on the new regulations.”
Usage
often used when the praise feels insincere or strategic.
Teaching tip
the metaphor of spreading butter to make something 'slide' or 'go down' more easily helps students remember the concept of softening someone up with flattery.
Pitfall
He buttered up to his teacher.
He buttered up his teacher.
do not use 'to' after the phrase; the person being flattered is the direct object of the phrasal verb.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
butter (+ object) + up
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/butter-up