Cards do NOT fan like "butter"

The Dark Angel

forum moderator / t11
Sep 1, 2007
2,003
18
32
Denver, Colorado
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.

Well, I love to see you smile.
Man, I feel like McDonalds now...
 
Aug 31, 2007
122
0
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.

But, have you thought that when you hold it in your hand, it slips and slides. Not to be rude, but when people say it fans like butter, they aren't saying butter can fan...its a figure of speech.

I think cards can fan like butter and you can fan cards smoothly, and butter is smooth. Figure of speech.


.:p54
 
Sep 2, 2007
362
1
I understand you Richard.You cant fan with butter.Sorry I have to say this but....Why do you think E says that there cards fan like butter....BECAUSE THEY CAN'T.

Sorry no offence
My opinion.

And to all you people.
We all know its a figure of speech.
Even if it is your still compairing it.If butter is equally as fannable as sh*t then saying it fans like butter shouldnt mean anything different than saying it fans like sh*t.

Your not getting it.

Michael Jordan flies like an airplane

Whats understood
Air planes Fly in the sky
Michael Jordan Flys in the sky.

See the compairison?

Now what if I said Michael Jordan Jumps like a White guy.
Well Just like "white man can't jump" "Butter can't fan"



Questions?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
the first few times i tried to do some fans, the cards went all over the place. i imagine that if you took some butter and threw it in an actual fan, it would also get thrown around the place. perhaps fans like butter is a bad thing.
good thinking Richard. I'm no longer going to say it.

but what to say instead......
 
Sep 10, 2007
99
0
Sacramento, CA
I've had butter fanning experience. I was in a fancy restaurant, and they had the square butter packets for the bread. It didn't fan too well though. I disagree with the statement "Fans like butter" on the premise that butter itself doesn't fan all that well.
 

-Ty

Sep 1, 2007
248
1
Australia
I'm gone for two days...

Butter is soft. It's spreads easily- Nice cards can also spread easily.

Done!

But butter is overrated. Cream cheese all the way!

Ty
 
Aug 31, 2007
467
1
Canada
I'm gone for two days...

Butter is soft. It's spreads easily- Nice cards can also spread easily.

Done!

But butter is overrated. Cream cheese all the way!

Ty

Yes, exactly what I said. Then the lead from spreading to fanning was made. Problem solved. It was simply an jump from the original intention of the saying. Many colloquialisms exist as the result of such jumps. Mind you, they aren't all as nonsensical as to imply that butter fans ;)
 
either way, some of you guys are taking this seriously, i think it's partly a joke. but as well i think we can stop comparing the ease with which any cards fan, to the properties of butter. or marge

if only to appease richard, but also because if you think about it it isn't really a good comparison anyway.

think up some new ones
 
Sep 2, 2007
221
0
I'm actually playing with a pack of blue Bicycle Masters right now, and I gottal tell ya, these cards fan just like butter.

There. I've said it. You guys gonna start crying now? Come on, let's see some tears, dammit! You'll never stop me! I'll be comparing cards to butter till I die! Weeeeep!

Seriously, guys. It's a figure of speech. If you walk up to most magicians and tell them that a pack of cards fans like butter, they'll instantly know what you're talking about. It doesn't matter what the phrase actually literally means because meanings rest within people, not words. There's nothing wrong with figures of speech. It's like saying you'll kill two birds with one stone. Ever tried killing ONE bird with one stone? Kids try crap like that all the time. You can't kill a bird with a stone, so why do people say that? Or how about there being more than one way to skin a cat. Who the hell skins cats? Why would anyone ever skin a cat? Skinning cats is straight-up sadistic, in my opinion, and anyone crazy enough to sit around and try to figure out more than one way to do it needs to be locked up.

The point is, sure, cards do not literally fan like butter, but if you SAY that, people take it to mean that the cards fan smoothly and evenly. . . and there's nothing wrong with that, because that's how language works!
 
Sep 1, 2007
56
0
40
Woodside, NY, USA
the first two pages of this thread were hilarious!! :D then you guys started getting serious and now it's not so funny :( but to stay on topic -

my cards "lepaul s S P R E A D" like buttahhhh baybe!!!!
 
Sep 4, 2007
131
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The point is, sure, cards do not literally fan like butter, but if you SAY that, people take it to mean that the cards fan smoothly and evenly. . . and there's nothing wrong with that, because that's how language works!

QFT. It's language. It's a simile. Language is flexible, and restricting it like this is a little ridiculous, no?

People say "jumpy as a jackrabbit". What "jumpy" do they mean? The "jumpy" that means one is a complete bag of nerves, or that which means one has a tendency to jump? Surely jackrabbits are not always nervous wrecks. Then why is it used to describe people being nervous?

Same thing here.
 
Sep 14, 2007
8
0
I think, more than anything, this is a health issue. For your cardiac well-being, I URGE you to change it to "fans like olive oil"!
 
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