to flatter someone so as to get something in return from them
to say nice things excessively to someone just so they can do you a favour
to charm someone with praise or compliments because you need something from them
Mary’s nice compliments about her not so nice boss made it clear that she was just trying to butter him up.
Buttering up people is a good way to get them to help you when you need it.
Alice is good at buttering up her superiors and that’s how she mostly gets promoted.
I am not so good at buttering up people just because I can be quite direct and blunt.
John’s offhand remarks about his boss showed that his previous compliments only served to butter his boss up.
To butter up people is really not the best way to get them to be kind to you
There is no origin for this idiom
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definition
Common phrase that has a specific meaning.