kiss ass


Also, kiss up to. Seek or gain favor by fawning or flattery, as in I am not going to kiss as to get the raise I deserve, or If I could find a good way to kiss up to the publisher, my book would be well promoted. The first, a vulgar slangy usage, was first recorded in 1705 as kiss arse, which is still the British usage. The variant, a euphemistic blend of kiss ass and suck up to, dates from the late 1900s.

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

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