lickspittle

Meanings

Noun

• A fawning toady; a base sycophant.
• The practice of giving empty flattery for personal gain.

Verb

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

Related

Similar words

• brown noser, flatterer, sycophant, toady

Origin

• A compounding: lick + spittle; the verb may derive by back-formation from the nominal derivation lickspittling (see below).