lapdog

American  

[lap-dawg, dog] / ˈlæpˌdɔg, ˌdɒg /

Or lap dog

noun

1. a small pet dog that can easily be held in the lap.

2. a person or group that submits to the influence of another; a servile follower.

   Regulatory agencies are supposed to be watchdogs, but some have become lapdogs of the industries they oversee.

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lapdog British  

/ ˈlæpˌdɒɡ /

noun

1. a pet dog small and docile enough to be cuddled in the lap

2. informal a person who attaches himself to someone in admiration or infatuation

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Etymology

Origin of lapdog

First recorded in 1635–45; lap ¹ + dog ( def. )

Example Sentences

He's not a lapdog that comes running every time they whistle.

From BBC

The republic’s consuls and other officers became Augustus’ lapdogs, but he preserved their venerable offices and titles “with anxious care,” seeming to consult them and massaging their vanity.

From Salon

Woike: The portrayal of Blake Griffin seems way off to me — someone who I never viewed as a selfish teammate or as a Sterling lapdog.

From Los Angeles Times

Over the course of three seasons, Kendall has served as both a lapdog and direct adversary of Logan and displays his emotional woundedness through his struggles with various addictions.

From Los Angeles Times

On several occasions she had a little lapdog with her — I can’t remember the breed — and periodically, if it appeared to be causing trouble, she’d pick it up and hold it.

From Los Angeles Times