Cards do NOT fan like "butter"

[richard]

I posted this about 2 years ago on Decknique, but I think it deserves to be repeated on theory11 to this larger crowd of people who still use this simile.

I don't want to see ONE more person talk about butter!

"Fans like butter." Really, does this make any sense? How does something fan like butter? Butter can't fan. And I'd imagine if it could it'd be sticky. I'm pretty sure butter can't faro either.

This is a misused expression. It was originally: "... like a warm knife through butter." Like in sports, you could say "he could slice through the middle like a warm knife through butter." It doesn't work with cards. They could feel buttery, but that's as far as it goes! "They're really greasy and taste salty, like butter."

Anybody with me on this? I say let the expression die.

 

[BlueBackedBikes]

Butter is smooth. If a deck fans smoothly, it can fan like butter or a baby's bottom or a little kitten or whatever else is smooth.

Just doesn't bother me, I guess...

 

[richard]

Think about it. "Fan like butter" implies that butter can fan.

One could argue that if you heat up butter enough you could spread it on some toast or something. But when you spread butter you usually have to give it multiple swipes with your knife to give it the spread you really want. So even then, spreading butter is a bit finicky.

 

[The Dark Angel]

Butter can be put on toast.
Cards can be put on toast.
Coiencidence? I think not.

 

[pokerface]

The sentence "Fans like butter" is kinda cult for me. xD

 

[c3rb3rus]

lol ... i saw the topic name and immediately thought of you Richard, little did i know it was you that had started the thread... but yeah the whole "fans like butter" thing really never made sense to me either.

 

[Jack The Magician]

Butter can be put on toast.
Cards can be put on toast.
Coiencidence? I think not.

"Fans like butter":

A fan is somebody who bets on a team because he likes the team. To a fan, the spread is an important detail in betting.

Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh cream. It consists of an emulsion of water and milk proteins in a matrix of fat, with over 80% being fat. It is used as a condiment and for cooking in much the same ways as vegetable oils or lard.

The saying "Fans like butter" means "Spreads like Butter," when taking into context the definitions of the words.

In my opinion, butter spreads seamlessly on my toast; ergo, this expression aptly can be used as an analogy to cards which also fan/spread seamlessly, like butter.

Cheers,
JTM

 

[MitchellStafiej]

I believe it all goes back to 1933 when San Diego was first discovered by the Germans. We now know that San Diego was really called "San Diago" and we also know it's meaning to be an old wooden ship. Now this ship was carrying butter from Singapore to San Diago. Unfortunately it was sunk by the Dr. Seuss monster. All that was left was a deck of cards and a stick of butter.

These two items drifted apart from each other, the Cards ended up in Canada, and the butter in Antarctica. These two items then never saw each other again.

And that's the story of Santa Claus and his seven dwarfs.

Mitchell

 

[drgriff]

Like card manipulation, but more fattening...

Obviously you've never experienced good butter manipulation. Jeff McButter can bounce sticks off the kitchen floor. Butterini used to do dairy manip with oven mitts on. Truly a sight to see...

 

[Aris.SA]

I'm with u richard I hate this expression xD

 

[The Dark Angel]

Obviously you've never experienced good butter manipulation. Jeff McButter can bounce sticks off the kitchen floor. Butterini used to do dairy manip with oven mitts on. Truly a sight to see...

I disagree. Criss Butterworth is much more talented than Jeff.

 

[DannyT]

"Fans like butter":

A fan is somebody who bets on a team because he likes the team. To a fan, the spread is an important detail in betting.

Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh cream. It consists of an emulsion of water and milk proteins in a matrix of fat, with over 80% being fat. It is used as a condiment and for cooking in much the same ways as vegetable oils or lard.

The saying "Fans like butter" means "Spreads like Butter," when taking into context the definitions of the words.

In my opinion, butter spreads seamlessly on my toast; ergo, this expression aptly can be used as an analogy to cards which also fan/spread seamlessly, like butter.

Cheers,
JTM

lol, how long did it take you to think of that?

I don't really care for that expression too much.
I'd rather just stick to the old school ways and say it fans well.

 

[cklam]

I don't want to see ONE more person talk about butter!

I personally don't use this expression anyway; but if people want to use it, why you need to stop them from saying that? This expression itself won't cause you any direct harm or embarrassment. There's no point in being drastic about it...

 

[Dana Hocking]

What about, "it fans like a bunch of cards with teflon on them, except that the cards aren't metal but they still fan really smoothly?"

Too long? Maybe we could just make up a new word. "They fan like a blorf." That would be awesome. I hope it catches on.

Dana

 

[BlueBackedBikes]

a blorf = a bunch of cards with teflon on them, except that the cards aren't metal but they still fan really smoothly

Mental note taken

 

[Jack The Magician]

lol, how long did it take you to think of that?

Not to long; it's on wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/what_is_fans_like_butter.

Too long? Maybe we could just make up a new word. "They fan like a blorf." That would be awesome. I hope it catches on.

You might want to copyright it before someone takes it, so everytime some says "blorf" you get a stipend, which can be donated to theory11 to to further our magic.

Cheers,
JTM

 

[Glenn West]

Butter can be put on toast.
Cards can be put on toast.
Coiencidence? I think not.

LMAO. Funniest thing I've read all day.

Me thinks you may be one who grasps the depth of my signature

Any who, I completely understand what you are saying, Richard. However, cards could SPREAD like butter, couldn't they? I believe this could be where this expression started, with magic that is.

Also, the hot knife through butter could be applied to how the cards faro as well.

"They Faro like a hot knife through butter."

But fanning, technically, no, but I can understand how fanning can be perceived as an extension of spreading, and thus making the leap to butter a much shorter one.

And of course, for the faroing one, well, we all get lazy and shorting things down, so i can see how the "hot knife through" could get dropped to just say "like butter."

But in principle I agree.

 

[Glenn West]

I believe it all goes back to 1933 when San Diego was first discovered by the Germans. We now know that San Diego was really called "San Diago" and we also know it's meaning to be an old wooden ship. Now this ship was carrying butter from Singapore to San Diago. Unfortunately it was sunk by the Dr. Seuss monster. All that was left was a deck of cards and a stick of butter.

These two items drifted apart from each other, the Cards ended up in Canada, and the butter in Antarctica. These two items then never saw each other again.

And that's the story of Santa Claus and his seven dwarfs.

Mitchell

And that's the story of Santa Claus and his seven dwarfs.


LMAO, second funniest thing I've read today.

Not to long; it's on wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/what_is_fans_like_butter.



You might want to copyright it before someone takes it, so everytime some says "blorf" you get a stipend, which can be donated to theory11 to to further our magic.

Cheers,
JTM

That link doesn't seem to have an article anymore.

 

[Jack The Magician]

That link doesn't seem to have an article anymore.

I was joking -- it doesn't exist.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
JTM

 

[Glenn West]

I was joking -- it doesn't exist.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
JTM

Ah, I get jokes.

Wouldn't be surprised if it did mind you, everything is on wiki.