I've discussed extroverts and introverts before. (Click here and here for a couple of posts about the differences.) And I just finished reading a book about the power of introverts in an extroverted world (well North America at the very least). And reading the book explained a few more things about me (I'm an introvert) but it made me grateful for extroverts. I need extroverts in my life to stretch me a little bit, to keep me engaged in life - otherwise I tend to hole up in a self-made cave with a good book or a good show. I need extroverts to show me that I can take risks, I can engage in belly laughing, I can assert myself when I know I have a good suggestion or idea. So while I am grateful for being an introvert (and I am glad to be one) I am also very grateful for extroverts, they provide me balance.
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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