This morning I spied my familiar, faithful friend Orion. I can't see him tonight due to cloud cover but I know he's there. I have a fondness for Orion. Ever since I was shown where he was in the sky in my elementary days I have been able to spot him in every sky. I found myself this morning grateful for Orion, for the reminder he serves to me of the vastness of this universe, of how intricate our universe is weaved together, of how Someone greater than I has named each star and also named me.
There are two probable origins for this idiom and I think both are equally plausible. The first one is that when you spread butter on bread you are buttering it up like one would do when trying to flatter someone. The second is in ancient India there was a practice of throwing balls of butter at statues to ask for favor, i.e. buttering them up. ( source ) When we use the phrase today we generally mean that extreme flattery is used to gain information or favor. It's not always necessarily a compliment.
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