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Synonyms

lickspittle

American  
[lik-spit-l] / ˈlɪkˌspɪt l /
Archaic, lickspit

noun

  1. a contemptible, fawning person; a servile flatterer or toady.

lickspittle British  
/ ˈlɪkˌspɪtəl /

noun

  1. a flattering or servile person

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lickspittle

First recorded in 1620–30; lick + spittle

Explanation

In your class or workplace, is there someone who's a lickspittle — a fawning toady who always flatters the teacher or boss, saying "Yes, ma’am" and "No, sir," and laughing at all the teacher's or boss's dumb jokes? A lickspittle is a derogatory term for someone who is obviously trying to get extra privileges by kissing up. English has several interesting names for such people, including bootlicker and apple polisher. Lickspittle is pretty old — from the 1600s — when it referred to someone who actually licked up the spit of their superior! Yuck! Calling someone a lickspittle is definitely not a compliment!

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Lopatto: So I would just like to say: Alfrid Lickspittle was the movie’s Jar Jar Binks.

From The Verge • Dec. 18, 2014

Alfrid Lickspittle, on the other hand, is destined to become the trilogy’s Jar Jar Binks.

From Washington Post • Dec. 16, 2014

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.