brownnose
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brown·nose
or brown-nose (broun′nōz′)tr.v. brown·nosed, brown·nos·ing, brown·nos·es or brown-nosed or brown-nos·ing or brown-nos·es Informal
To curry favor with in an obsequious manner; fawn on.
[From the image of an obsequious person whose nose becomes soiled with excrement in kissing the buttocks of someone from whom favor is sought.]
brown′nose′ n.
brown′nos′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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brownnose
or brown-noseverb
Informal. To support slavishly every opinion or suggestion of a superior:
Informal: apple-polish, cotton.
Slang: suck up.
Idioms: curry favor, dance attendance, kiss someone's feet, lick someone's boots.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.