Today I watched two friends of mine (who used to be my bosses) celebrate their love story in a wedding ceremony. They actually got married last July but this year had a ceremony that family and friends could be a part of. It was really moving. I had the privilege of watching them enter into a romantic relationship after being friends and co-workers for many, many years. It was fun to watch my direct boss get all giggly and blush when we would mention his name. It was fun to watch him drop by with candy or flowers for her just because. Their story has been really special to witness and today as they allowed us to celebrate with them in a more formal way I felt so grateful for the opportunity to know them, love them, and celebrate their love story.
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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