Butter me up!
Blog Entry: Tuesday 27 Apr 2010
There are many well-known butter phrases out there and after you know what they all mean, we challenge you to use them all by the end of the day!
“Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!” – while this may sound rude, it is actually a rather traditional expression of complete surprise. It originated in the southern states of the United States of America where biscuits refer to scone-like treats. Don’t forget to say it with a southern twang.
“Butter!” – this simply use of our favourite dairy term simply indicates that something is excellent. It was first popularised by a recurring Saturday Night Live skit called “Coffee Talk” where the host would use “like butter” to describe something that is good. And apparently it caught on!
“Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth” – while many of us use this butter term to indicate that someone is angelic or innocent, it actually means that the individual is so prim and proper that their cool demeanor never falters. This expression was first recorded in 1530 and alluded to people who maintain such a cool demeanor that they don’t even have the warmth to melt butter.
“Boy butter” – this is a naval term to indicate a light tan grease used by weapons types on torpedoes.
“Butter up” – essentially meaning to flatter someone in order to gain a favour, this phrase comes from the homely practice of spreading a substance like butter on bread in order to add to its flavour.
Do you have a favourite use for the word butter? Please share it with us!
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