kiss ass
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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.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
How to use kiss ass in a sentence
He refers to one of his work rivals derisively as a “Yes Man” and a “Kiss Ass.”