bootlick

American  

[boot-lik] / ˈbutˌlɪk /

verb (used with object)

1. to seek the favor or goodwill of in a servile, degraded way; toady to.

   Synonyms:

   apple-polish, fawn, flatter

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verb (used without object)

1. to be a toady.

   Synonyms:

   apple-polish, fawn, flatter

bootlick British  

/ ˈbuːtˌlɪk /

verb

1. informal to seek favour by servile or ingratiating behaviour towards (someone, esp someone in authority); toady

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Other Word Forms

• bootlicker
  noun

Etymology

Origin of bootlick

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; boot ¹ + lick

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bootlick

Turned down for that fellow Prescott—-that shifty dodger and cheap bootlick!

From Dick Prescott's Third Year at West Point Standing Firm for Flag and Honor by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock

You have to be a bit of a bootlick, and people will give you tips, which is against all scout rules.”

From Boy Scouts in Glacier Park The Adventures of Two Young Easterners in the Heart of the High Rockies by Walter Prichard Eaton

"Prescott would, if he were a tenth part of the bootlick that you represent him to be," replied Stubbs.

From Dick Prescotts's Fourth Year at West Point Ready to Drop the Gray for Shoulder Straps by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock

He became a "bone," and tried so hard to delight his instructors that he was suspected of boning bootlick with the Academic Board.

From Dick Prescott's Third Year at West Point Standing Firm for Flag and Honor by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock

At Yale, and other colleges, a tutor or any other officer who informs against the students, or acts as a spy upon their conduct, is also called a bootlick.

From A Collection of College Words and Customs by Benjamin Homer Hall