E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Soft Words Butter no Parsnips,
or “Fair words,” etc. Saying “Be thou fed” will not feed a hungry man. “Good words will not fill a sack.” To “butter parsnips” means also “dorer la pilule” (“soft words will not gild the pill of distress”).
