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butter sb up

informal phrasal verb with butter
 
/ˈbʌt.ər/
 
US  /ˈbʌt̬.ɚ/ verb [T]

Definition

to be very kind or friendly to someone or try to please them, so that they will do what you want them to do: You'll have to butter them up a bit before they'll agree.Urging and persuadingCausing somebody to act
(Definition of butter sb up from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
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