returning the butter
n.— «For a man to marry, he had to have land to grow bananas. Even the gifts he took to the bride’s parents had to include matooke. After the marriage, when the bride did what came to be called ‘returning the butter’, she took to her parents’ home a number of gift items, including matooke.» —“Why the Baganda Adore Their Land” by Bob Kisiki New Vision (Kampala, Uganda) July 23, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Mary Beth in Greenville, South Carolina, wonders: Why do we say four-oh-nine for the number 409 instead of four-zero-nine or four-aught-nine? What are the rules for saying either zero or oh or aught or ought to indicate that arithmetical symbol...
Astronauts returning from space say they experience what’s called the overview effect, a new understanding of the fragility of our planet and our need to reflect on what humans all share as a species. A book about the end of the universe...