soft words butter no parsnips
Preserved but no longer current.
See BUTTER. Soho! (so ho'). An exclamation used by huntsmen, especially in hare-coursing when a hare has been started. It is a very old call, dating from at least the 13th century, and corresponds to the "Tally-ho!" of fox-hunters when the fox breaks cover.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “soft words butter no parsnips” mean?
See BUTTER. Soho! (so ho'). An exclamation used by huntsmen, especially in hare-coursing when a hare has been started. It is a very old call, dating from at least the 13th century, and corresponds to the "Tally-ho!" of fox-hunters when the fox breaks cover.
Is “soft words butter no parsnips” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.