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lickspittle

[lik-spit-l]
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noun
  1. a contemptible, fawning person; a servile flatterer or toady.
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Also Archaic, lick·spit [lik-spit] /ˈlɪkˌspɪt/.

Origin of lickspittle

First recorded in 1620–30; lick + spittle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for lickspittle

flatterer, flunky, lackey, sycophant, toady, ass-kisser, bootlicker, groveler, lickspittle

Examples from the Web for lickspittle

Historical Examples of lickspittle

  • You get up right after midnight to practice being a lickspittle and a trimmer!

    Such is Life

    Frank Wedekind

British Dictionary definitions for lickspittle

lickspittle

noun
  1. a flattering or servile person
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lickspittle

n.

also lick-spittle, "sycophant, abject toady," 1741, from lick (v.1) + spittle.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper