This phrase doesn't have an origin in which it meant something and became what we know it to be today. Apparently the phrase has existed for at least 200 years and was used quite a bit in the 1800s. It's meaning is to stay strong in the face of adversity. (source)
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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