lickspittle

Meaning

Noun

1. A fawning toady; a base sycophant.
2. (broadly) The practice of giving empty flattery for personal gain.

Verb

To play the toady; take the role of a lickspittle to please (someone).

Synonyms

toady

bootlicker

sycophant

yes-man

adulator

truckler

apple polisher

ass-kisser

brownnoser

suck-up

handshaker

toading

brown-nose

flatterer

groveller

toadeater

Translations

Speichellecker

lecchino

lèche-botte

lèche-cul

slijmerd

ruffiano

vleier

pluimstrijker

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈlɪkspɪtl/

Etymology

A compounding: lick (“pass one’s tongue over”) + spittle (“saliva”); the verb may derive by back-formation from the nominal derivation lickspittling (see below).