FLATTERY
butter someone up
to flatter someone.I believe my landlady prefers for me to butter her up rather than getting the rent on time.If I butter up the landlady, she allows me to be a few days late.
lay it on thick and lay it on with a trowel; pour it on thick; spread it on thick
to exaggerate praise, excuses, or blame.Sally was laying it on thick when she said that Tom was the best singer she had ever heard.After Bob finished making his excuses, Sally said that he was pouring it on thick.Bob always spreads it on thick.
play up to someone
to try to gain someone's favor.Bill is always playing up to the teacher.Ann played up to Bill as if she wanted him to marry her.
shine up to someone
to try to gain someone's favor by being extra nice.John is a nice guy, except that he's always trying to shine up to the professor.Mary never tries to shine up to the manager.
apple-polisher
n. a flatterer.Doesn't that wimpy apple-polisher know how stupid he looks?Everybody at the office seems to be an apple-polisher but me.
brown-nose and brown-noser
1.
n. a sycophant; one who flatters for self-serving motives.
You are just a plain old brown-nose.That brown-noser actually gave the boss a bottle of wine for her day.
2.
tr. & in. to curry favor with someone; to be a sycophant.
Don't you brown-nose me!Don keeps brown-nosing, and the professor pretends not to notice.
cookie pusher
n. someone who flatters other people for self-serving motives.When you've got a whole office full of cookie pushers, there's always someone to take you to lunch.Another cookie pusher came in today to tell me what a great teacher I am.
egg-sucker
n. a flatterer; a sycophant.The guy is a chronic egg-sucker. Ignore him.Who's the egg-sucker who brought the teacher candy?
grade-grubbing
n. flattering a teacher in hopes of a higher grade.Some teachers don't mind a lot of grade-grubbing.So you've come in to do some grade-grubbing.
kiss someone's ass
tr. to fawn over someone; to flatter and curry favor with someone. (Potentially offensive. Use ass with discretion.)What does he expect me to do? Kiss his ass?I won't kiss your ass for anything.
kiss up to someone
in. to flatter someone; to make over someone.I'm not going to kiss up to anybody to get what's rightfully mine.If I have to kiss up to her, I guess I will.
soft soap
n. flattering talk; sweet talk.I don't mind a little soft soap. It won't affect what I do, though.Don't waste my time with soft soap. I know you don't mean it.
stroke
tr. & in. to flatter someone; to soothe and comfort someone.She strokes everybody to keep them on her side during the bad times.She learned long ago that stroking puts people at ease.