fine words butter no parsnips

Etymology
Attested as early as 1639 as faire words butter noe parsnips, alluding to the English habit of buttering foods to make them more palatable. It was found in the 17th century in various forms with the first and last word being different, thus allowing combinations of fine/fair/soft with parsnips/cabbage/fish/ before becoming standardized in the form fine words doth butter no parsnips.

Proverb

 * 1) Nothing is achieved by empty words or flattery.

Translations

 * Dutch: praatjes vullen geen gaatjes
 * Finnish: ei suuret sanat suuta halkaise
 * German: Von schönen Worten kann man sich nichts kaufen.
 * Greek:
 * Ancient Greek: ῥήματα ἀντ’ ἀλφίτων
 * Italian: le belle parole non danno da mangiare
 * Norwegian:
 * Bokmål: det hjelper ikke med snakk
 * Russian: соловья́ ба́снями не нако́рмишь