apple-polish

A student tries to apple-polish the teacher by offering to carry her books.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To curry favor with someone by flattery or service: "apple-polish" means to ingratiate oneself with a superior (such as a teacher, boss, or authority figure) through exaggerated praise, gifts, or helpful acts, often to gain an advantage.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • He tried to apple-polish the professor by bringing her coffee every morning. (He attempted to win the professor's favor through flattering service.)
  • Some students apple-polish the teacher to get better grades. (They use ingratiating behavior to receive preferential treatment.)
  • She apple-polished her boss constantly, hoping for a promotion. (She flattered and served her boss to advance her career.)

Advanced Usage

• "to apple-polish" is typically used in informal or colloquial contexts, especially in American English, and often carries a negative connotation of insincerity or manipulation.
  • The politician apple-polished the wealthy donors before the election. (He flattered them to secure financial support.)

Variants and Related Words

• Apple-polisher (noun): a person who engages in apple-polishing.
  • He is a notorious apple-polisher, always bringing gifts to the manager. (A person who flatters to gain favor.)
• Apple-polishing (noun or adjective): the act of flattering or ingratiating oneself.
  • Her constant apple-polishing annoyed her coworkers. (Her flattering behavior.)

Synonyms

• Brown-nose: to flatter someone obsequiously, especially to gain an advantage.
• Suck up: to behave in a sycophantic manner toward someone in authority.
• Kowtow: to act in a submissive or deferential way to please someone.

Phrasal Verbs

• (None directly derived from "apple-polish," as it is already a phrasal verb itself.)

Related Idioms

• Polish the apple: the literal origin of the idiom, meaning to shine an apple to make it more appealing; figuratively, to flatter or ingratiate.
  • He spent the whole meeting polishing the apple with the new director. (He flattered the director constantly.)
• An apple for the teacher: a traditional gift given to a teacher to gain favor, closely related to "apple-polish."
  • She brought an apple for the teacher, but it was just a gesture of apple-polishing. (A symbolic act of flattery.)