| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| butter up |
be nice to, suck up to
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Butter him up before you ask to borrow his car.
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| butter wouldn't melt in his mouth |
he is very calm and clear, he has an air of innocence,
cool, smooth talker
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When he's talking to voters, butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.
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| button your lip |
do not tell anyone, on the QT
|
Button your lip about the speeding ticket. Don't tell Dad.
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| buttonhole you |
stop you and talk to you, corner you and bore you
|
At the meeting, Al buttonholed me and asked me to vote Reform.
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| buy a round |
buy a drink for everyone at the table, this one is on me
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When Gina was born, I bought a round for the team. Every player had a drink to honor our baby.
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| buy into |
believe and support, agree to support, come onside
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He will buy into our plan if the money goes to needy children.
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| buy out |
buy a business and all the inventory
|
We knew his business was in debt, so we offered to buy him out.
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| buy that |
believe that, eat that
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He says he went to see his friends at the park. I can buy that.
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| buy the farm |
die, kick the bucket, pass away
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"Where's Henry?" "Oh, he bought the farm years ago - died of cancer, eh."
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| buy time |
request time to plan, ask for extra time
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If we can just buy a little time, maybe the price will go down.
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