butter up 復習

　北朝鮮問題で世界が動いています。

France, Japan, the U.K. and U.S. Send China And North Korea A Tough Message

Russia supports China and North Korea, by calling for de-escalation to the status quo which allows for North Korea to periodically increase its nuclear development without significant consequences. Russia stated that THAAD, which protects South Korea, erodes China’s deterrent. Why does China need a “deterrent” against non-nuclear South Korea? To me it appears more of a threat.
President Trump flattered President Xi in recent days, no doubt buttering him up in case the U.S. needs to launch a pre-emptive strike on China. But giving China a good trade deal or concession on Taiwan in exchange for pressuring North Korea, which China should have done long ago, would go too far. Russia and China’s vague calls for peace and negotiation at this point are far too little, far too late. Trump’s tough approach now has China’s nationalist state-owned media, the Global Times, defending economic sanctions on North Korea.

（一部抜粋）

https://www.forbes.com/sites/anderscorr/2017/04/29/france-japan-the-u-k-and-u-s-send-china-and-north-korea-a-tough-message/#39c0a3816032

今回はbutter upを取り上げます。Oxford Dictionary of English(Second Edition Reserved, Oxford University Press)によると、 "to say nice things to sb so that they will help you or give you sth"と定義されておりました。『ジーニアス英和辞典』（第五版，大修館）によると、「（人に）おべっかを言う(to)」と載っておりました。

ちなみにbutterのみでも、「へつらい，おべっか」という名詞で使うことができます。(Gomez)

butter up - 田邉祐司ゼミ 常時英心：言葉の森から