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Many idioms are inspired by
food. Listen
Feifei needs to be nice to her landlady in order to prevent a rise in her rent. Finn suggests that she butters up the woman. How can she do this? Listen to the programme to find out.
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The script for this programme
(Feifei and Finn bump into each other at the supermarket)
Finn: Hello Feifei. I didn't know you shopped at this supermarket too.
Feifei: Hi Finn. Usually I don't. But it's close to the office and I have to rush home to welcome an important guest.
Finn: Who is it? Someone I know?
Feifei: No, it's my landlady. She's coming to collect some of her post and… well, I want to make her like me because next month, the contract on my flat is due to be renewed and she might want to increase the rent.
Finn: Yeah, I see what you mean. So you'd better butter her up then!
Feifei: Butter? Oh, yes. But I'm a pretty bad cook. If I baked a cake it would probably be horrible!
Finn: No. I don't mean butter for a cake. In English, when you say you'll 'butter someone up', you mean you'll be especially nice to them in the hope they'll do something good for you in return.
Feifei: Oh, I see. So I'll be nice to her and pay her compliments so that she likes me and keeps the rent low. I'll 'butter her up'! But isn't it a bit insincere?
Finn: Well, it can have a negative connotation, yes. Let's hear some examples of how to use 'to butter someone up' or 'to butter up someone', which is today's expression in The English We Speak.
Finn: Hello Feifei. I didn't know you shopped at this supermarket too.
Feifei: Hi Finn. Usually I don't. But it's close to the office and I have to rush home to welcome an important guest.
Finn: Who is it? Someone I know?
Feifei: No, it's my landlady. She's coming to collect some of her post and… well, I want to make her like me because next month, the contract on my flat is due to be renewed and she might want to increase the rent.
Finn: Yeah, I see what you mean. So you'd better butter her up then!
Feifei: Butter? Oh, yes. But I'm a pretty bad cook. If I baked a cake it would probably be horrible!
Finn: No. I don't mean butter for a cake. In English, when you say you'll 'butter someone up', you mean you'll be especially nice to them in the hope they'll do something good for you in return.
Feifei: Oh, I see. So I'll be nice to her and pay her compliments so that she likes me and keeps the rent low. I'll 'butter her up'! But isn't it a bit insincere?
Finn: Well, it can have a negative connotation, yes. Let's hear some examples of how to use 'to butter someone up' or 'to butter up someone', which is today's expression in The English We Speak.
Feifei: Oh, look. It's 6pm already. I'm very late. I might not be on time to meet my landlady and she'll be angry with me. She's a very busy woman.
Finn: Yeah, well, then you are in a jam!
Feifei: Jam?!
Finn: In English, when you say someone 'is in a jam', you mean they are in a difficult situation – but that's a different kind of jam!
Feifei: All these expressions about food!
Finn: I know. We have a huge appetite for food expressions. But let's leave some for another day. Bye!
Feifei: Bye!
Finn: Yeah, well, then you are in a jam!
Feifei: Jam?!
Finn: In English, when you say someone 'is in a jam', you mean they are in a difficult situation – but that's a different kind of jam!
Feifei: All these expressions about food!
Finn: I know. We have a huge appetite for food expressions. But let's leave some for another day. Bye!
Feifei: Bye!
Downloads
To take away:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2014/09/140923_tews_194_butter_up.shtml
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