lickspittle
Definition
- Noun:
- A servile flatterer: "lickspittle" refers to a person who behaves obsequiously toward someone in order to gain favor or advantage; a sycophant or toady.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The court was filled with lickspittles who praised the king's every whim. (Servile flatterers who sought the king's approval.)
- He is nothing but a lickspittle, always agreeing with his boss to get a promotion. (A person who flatters in a demeaning way for personal gain.)
Advanced Usage
- "to play the lickspittle": to act in a servile, flattering manner.
- She played the lickspittle to the director, laughing at all his jokes. (She behaved obsequiously to curry favor.)
Variants and Related Words
- Lickspittle (adj): characteristic of a lickspittle; servilely flattering.
- His lickspittle behavior disgusted his colleagues. (His obsequious flattery was repulsive.)
Synonyms
- Sycophant: a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important to gain advantage.
- Toady: a person who flatters or defers to others in a servile manner.
- Bootlicker: a person who behaves in a servile way toward a superior.
Related Idioms
- Kiss someone's ring: to show excessive deference or flattery to a person of authority.
- He is always kissing the manager's ring, just like a lickspittle. (He flatters the manager obsequiously.)