IdiomFood & Drink
French
FrenchCompter pour du beurre
Meaning: To count for nothing; to be disregarded.
Literally: To count for butter
Example: “Mon petit frère voulait jouer avec nous, alors on l'a fait compter pour du beurre.” — My little brother wanted to play with us, so we let him join without it counting.
Origin: Butter was the cheap, taken-for-granted staple against which anything of real worth was measured, so counting for butter is counting for next to nothing. In children's games the phrase marks a player who is present but whose score does not count.
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