I have always thought this idiom's figurative meaning was that a person being called a diamond in the rough wasn't living up to their potential yet and it was going to emerge soon. But according to this website it means someone who is basically good hearted but lacking social graces and respect for the law. It's possible this is a cultural difference since that website is UK based, perhaps it holds that figurative meaning in Britain?
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.
Comments
Post a Comment