cotton to

British  

verb

1. to become friendly with

2. to approve of

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cotton to Cultural  

1. To take a liking to someone or something: “I was afraid Janet wouldn't like my brother, but she cottoned to him immediately.”

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cotton to Idioms  

1. Take a liking to, get along with, as in This dog doesn't cotton to strangers . Although this verbal phrase comes from the noun for the fabric, the semantic connection between these parts of speech is unclear. [Early 1800s]

2. Also, cotton on to . Come to understand, grasp, as in She didn't really cotton on to what I was saying . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

Though “Goon” thoroughly charmed critics and fellow musicians with its early-’70s-balladeer vibe — many said he evoked the glory days of Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson and beard-and-shearling-coat-era Paul McCartney — Jesso didn’t cotton to the life of a sort-of-famous performer and almost immediately walked away from his solo career to write songs for other singers instead.

From Los Angeles Times

Residents had wanted council leader John Cotton to attend, Mr Hussain said, but he declined.

From BBC

She called on council leader John Cotton to "stop playing games, get in the room and solve this dispute".

From BBC

Tshwete, incarcerated on Robben Island with Mandela, practically moved McGeechan and Cotton to tears when he recounted his experiences of listening to those radios and hearing how they brought the Springboks to their knees.

From BBC

I stuffed my ears with bits of cotton to keep out the evil voices.

From Literature