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Lickspittle
//ˈlɪkspɪtl// noun, verb
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A fawning toady; a base sycophant.
""I've found you out and know you thoroughly, you mean, whining lickspittle!""
- 2 The practice of giving empty flattery for personal gain. broadly
Verb
- 1 To play the toady; take the role of a lickspittle to please (someone). intransitive, transitive
""[Y]ou take his side, and that is wrong! ...If some young school teacher, or some young lad, lickspittles to him, it's bad enough.""
Etymology
Etymology 1
A compounding: lick (“pass one’s tongue over”) + spittle (“saliva”); the verb may derive by back-formation from the nominal derivation lickspittling (see below).
Etymology 2
A compounding: lick (“pass one’s tongue over”) + spittle (“saliva”); the verb may derive by back-formation from the nominal derivation lickspittling (see below).
See also for "lickspittle"
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