Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Word Origins 39. The word origin today
or the term today the origin is to butter someone up. Okay. Good. Let's
take a look at the note here. If someone butters up another person, he or she
praises someone a lot in order to gain his or her favor. Okay or is sometimes
used before delivering bad news or asking for favors. So if you're buttering
someone up you're trying to make them feel better. You're getting them ready for
something, usually some bad news , asking for a favor or something like that. Okay.
Let's continue. Most sources claim the origin of this phrase came from an old
ancient Indian custom of tossing like throwing or tossing balls of ghee. I guess
that's how you pronounce it, which is clarified butter. Okay. What's clarified
butter ? We have that down here. Clarified butter has been made clear by heating. So
they heated it up to make it clearer and guess they're throwing that.. Okay
clarified butter at particular gods in order to gain their favor. Even though I
don't know we sometimes think this is strange. Wouldn't , wouldn't that make the
gods angry if you throwing butter on them ? Or maybe they like it. Maybe they
think it's nice and shiny. I don't know. By buttering up the statues it was hoped
they would have a good you know, have good harvests and peace. Peace you know not
war. Okay. Good. So let's continue. Let's look at a couple of examples. The way we
may hear it still used today. Every time you try to butter me up, it means you are
going to ask me for a loan. Maybe this person already knows. Like don't. Don't
try to butter me up. I'm not doing that you know that's where we might hear it
or the second one you had better do a lot of buttering up if you plan on
asking him for that favor. So he's not going to give that favor very easily. So you
better butter him up really well. Okay, Anyway I hope you got it. I hope
it's clear. I hope it was informative. Thank you for your time. Bye-bye.