Easy English Expression, rehashed!
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Coach Shane here.
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I love today's expression.
You can do this to me if you want.
Let's go back in time.
Today's expression is very good.
It is a phrasal verb.
It is to butter, B-U-T-T-E-R, up.
To butter someone up or to butter up somebody.
Both are possible.
Are you trying to butter me up?
You should butter up dad first.
Don't try to butter me up.
Don't butter me up.
Don't butter me up before you ask for something.
What does it mean to butter somebody up?
Well, you know, butter, B-U-T-T-E-R, like you put on bread or maybe a potato, maybe some rice.
You can add some butter.
Yeah, yeah.
You add butter to people, right?
If you want to ask your father...
For some money or if you want to ask a favor from your boss or your teacher.
First of all, you should put butter on their face.
No, no, no, no, no.
That's crazy.
You're going to get in trouble if you do that.
But the idea is to spread nice words all over the person.
To say nice things, many, many, many, many nice things to the person.
That way that person will like you.
Maybe they will do something for you.
Maybe they will help you if you butter them up.
That's the idea.
To spread nice words, sometimes lies, all over the person.
Do you understand?
I hope so.
Now, there's another idea for the origin of this expression.
In India, the country India.
Sometimes, when people want to ask the gods for a favor, they go to a specific god and they actually do put butter on the god.
I don't know why, but that's what they do.
So this expression might come from India.
I don't know.
But we do use it in America.
And sometimes I'll be honest.
I know.
I know.
Sometimes you guys butter me up.
And even though you butter me up, I don't do favors for anybody.
All right.
Let's check out a dialogue.
Shane, you are so smart.
Uh, my IQ is 84.
Wow, and you look so young.
Are you trying to butter me up?
No, I would never do that.
Okay, continue.
Yeah, it's pretty easy to butter me up.
Just say anything nice to me and I feel good and then I will want to do something.
I'm stupid.
No, it's not true.
It's absolutely not true.
You can butter me up all day long and I won't do anything.
Nothing, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I'm a straight guy, you know.
I mean, if you do good work, if you spread the word and do something, then I give you something.
But if you just say nothing.
Now, we all butter up people.
Sure.
We butter up moms on their birthdays and on Mother's Day.
Mom, you're the greatest.
I love you, Mom.
All about Mom.
And it's true.
We do.
Sometimes buttering up somebody like your mother or your wife or your husband, that's a good thing.
And don't expect anything.
Don't ask for something.
Just be nice.
Buttering up your children, I don't know.
Kids don't need buttering up.
Do kids need buttering up?
I guess they do a little bit.
And when I was young, my dad, my mom and dad, they never buttered me up.
Nobody buttered me up.
Suddenly I'm getting sad.
To butter somebody up.
To say lots and lots and lots of nice things to somebody.
Usually we butter somebody up So that we can get something.
But not always.
Sometimes it's just nice to butter up somebody.
Especially your mom, your wife, or your husband.
Check out the dialogue two more times.
Shane, you are so smart.
Uh, my IQ is 84.
Wow, and you look so young.
Are you trying to butter me up?
No, I would never do that.
Okay, continue.
Shane, you are so smart.
Uh, my IQ is 84.
Wow, and you look so young.
Are you trying to butter me up?
No, I would never do that.
Okay, continue.
Contact at letsmasterenglish.com.
I'm Coach Shane, and together, let's master English.
